I got Erik ten Hag on the edge of his seat at Ajax - but he didn't want me at Manchester United

The latest reunion of the former Ajax right-wingers club is on hold. Antony's injury, which he picked up for Manchester United in Istanbul on Thursday night, could rule him out of the weekend's trip to West Ham, for who Mohammed Kudus is suspended and a big miss.

Kudus and Antony were born six months apart in 2000 and spent two years as teammates in Amsterdam, playing under Erik ten Hag. Although nominally occupying the same position, Kudus' versatility allowed them to dovetail at times.

Both have followed the familiar route of moving from Ajax to the Premier League, but they have diverged a little since then. United spent £85million on Antony in 2022 but have been rewarded with just 12 goals in 87 games. Even without his injury in the Europa League, he had no chance of starting at the London Stadium.

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The only game the Brazilian has been trusted to start this season was against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup and he has played just 47 minutes in United's last 11 Premier League games. It is bordering on impossible to see how his Old Trafford career ends in him being anything other than a very expensive flop.

Kudus moved to England a year later than Antony. West Ham spent £38m on him, and he has 16 goals in 55 games. He is suspended after being sent off in last weekend's 4-1 defeat to Tottenham, but if available he would have been a guaranteed starter.

While Antony has offered little to United's attack, Kudus has been an entertaining addition to the Premier League. He has already hurt United, scoring in the 2-0 win for West Ham in the capital in December last year, and it's impossible not to come to the conclusion that Ten Hag pushed for the signing of the wrong Ajax winger.

He certainly knew what Kudus could do, even if the Ghanian only really took off in Amsterdam in the season after Ten Hag left for United. There were five goals in 42 appearances under Ten Hag and then 22 in 45 games after that, as well as an excellent World Cup.

Ten Hag knew what he was getting when Ajax signed him from Nordsjaelland in 2020, reportedly beating competition from United, according to Danish newspaper EkstraBladet. He was quickly impressed.

"You can see the incredible potential that boy has," Ten Hag told Ziggo Sport in 2020. "We will enjoy it a lot. He can be used in several positions and that multifunctionality can help us well this year."

Ten Hag was singing the praises of Kudus again soon after, talking up just how exciting he was, something he has displayed to a Premier League audience since his own move to England.

“He’s great to watch," said Ten Hag. "He is very active and dynamic and can play with very high intensity. When Kudus gets the ball, he often does something good with it. He was also good defensively.”

Kudus scored 14 goals in 57 games for Nordsjaelland in Denmark to attract the attention of scouts from some of Europe's biggest clubs. But there was a reason that Ajax appealed and a reason he felt he would be a good fit under Ten Hag.

“Because the club is known for developing talent. I talked about that with trainer Erik ten Hag," he said during the 2022 World Cup, when Ten Hag had made a flying start to life at Old Trafford. “In his style of play, creative and attacking, I saw myself. It was exactly in line with my personal qualities and how I wanted to develop.”

Kudus has found a place to develop at West Ham. He was linked with a move to Old Trafford after an eye-catching World Cup, with Ten Hag keen to reinforce his attack in January 2023, but United's financial constraints made a move impossible, and Wout Weghorst arrived on loan instead.

He came close to signing for Brighton before eventually joining the Hammers and has impressed ever since. In terms of end product and his ability to excite, he has eclipsed what Antony has so far been able to offer at United.

That versatility that Ten Hag spoke about back at Ajax is still there and can be both a blessing and a curse. Kudus' Transfermarkt profile reveals 47 career games a right winger, 46 in central midfield, 43 in attacking midfield, 43 at centre-forward and 13 on the left wing, the latter all coming at West Ham.

According to the stats, he is best on the right. In 47 games, he has scored 21 goals and created seven more. United will be relieved he isn't available to face them this weekend, but given the number of players who have followed Ten Hag from Ajax to Old Trafford, there will be some disappointment that he doesn't play for them every week.