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Rob Dawson, CorrespondentSep 9, 2024, 01:15 PM ET
Antony is determined to stay at Manchester United despite interest from Fenerbahce, a source told ESPN.
Turkish clubs can sign players until Friday and Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho, are among the suitors for Antony. The Brazilian winger has only played one minute of United’s first three Premier League games of the season.
A source has told ESPN that he’s keen to feature more regularly, but his preference is to stay at Old Trafford even if Fenerbahce make a formal offer.
Antony, who has three years left on his contract, has struggled for form since his £82 million move from Ajax in 2022. However, sources have told ESPN that Erik ten Hag would be reluctant to lose the 24-year-old after the club sanctioned the departure of Jadon Sancho to Chelsea on transfer deadline day in the UK.
Meanwhile, United will not rush Rasmus Højlund back from injury, a source told ESPN, even if it means keeping the striker sidelined for longer than the initial six-week timeframe.
Højlund suffered a hamstring injury in the first game of United’s preseason tour of the U.S against Arsenal on July 28. The club confirmed at the time that the 21-year-old was expected to be out for six weeks with a prospect of being fully fit following the current international break.
But sources told ESPN that United are taking a cautious approach to Højlund’s rehabilitation, particularly because of concerns that the Denmark international has not had the benefit of building up his fitness during summer,
Højlund featured for Denmark against Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2024 on June 29. After a holiday, he returned to Carrington on July 22. Højlund had a week of training before picking the injury in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in Los Angeles.
He’s been working in the gym at Carrington and has been involved in individual sessions on the grass, but is yet to join in team training with the rest of Ten Hag’s squad.
Højlund is set to be assessed again this week ahead of the trip to Southampton on Saturday, but sources have told ESPN that he will not be pressed back into action too soon with plans in place to ease him back in gently.
United are keen to avoid a repeat of last season’s injury problems which contributed to their eighth-place finish in the Premier League. Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Victor Lindelöf and Leny Yoro are all currently missing because of injury.
Ten Hag’s team have lost two of their first three games of the season, including the humbling 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford.
In Højlund’s absence, Ten Hag has used midfielder Bruno Fernandes as a false No.9 and handed summer signing Joshua Zirkzee his full debut against Liverpool. Zirkzee scored his first goals for Netherlands in their 5-2 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Nations League on Saturday.
