CHRIS WHEELER: Man United’s right wing position is at an all-time low with Mason Greenwood out, Jadon Sancho cast aside and Antony exiled… £200m has been spent but Erik ten Hag has no clear option

We used to describe the right wing as a problem position at Manchester United.

In 2020, with Mason Greenwood just becoming a seemingly unstoppable force and the club frustrated in their attempts to sign Jadon Sancho, United were lacking in this area.

This felt wrong for a club with such a rich history of wingers. Best, Ronaldo, Giggs, Beckham, Kanchelskis, Sharpe, the list goes on.

Then United started stocking up on right wingers. In fact, for a while it felt like the only players coming to Old Trafford were right wingers.

Amad Diallo for a transfer fee of £19 million, which could one day rise to £38 million. Facundo Pellistri for £9m. Then United finally got their man and signed Sancho for £73 million.

Manchester United’s £85million winger Antony has been placed on leave as he denies abuse allegations from three women

Jadon Sancho contradicted Erik ten Hag’s explanation as to why he was absent for the game against Arsenal last weekend

This leaves United coach Erik ten Hag lacking options on the right side of his forward line

When Erik ten Hag took over as manager last summer, he returned to his old club Ajax and paid £85m for Antony.

The big end of £200m to ensure the right wing is no longer a problem position.

However, as Ten Hag returns to his desk at Carrington on Monday after a short break, things remain as problematic as ever after another turbulent week at Old Trafford.

No sooner had United resolved the Mason Greenwood saga that had hung over the club for 19 months by sending him to Getafe than they were drawn into another domestic violence controversy involving Antony.

The Brazilian has been placed on paid leave as he defends himself against allegations of assault by an ex-girlfriend, which he vigorously denies.

Sancho would be the natural replacement but he has fallen out with Ten Hag after publicly denying his manager’s claim that he did not feature in the last game against Arsenal because he had not trained well.

As if he hadn’t angered Ten Hag enough, Sancho also claimed that he was being used as a scapegoat.

The two men will hold talks at the training ground on Monday, just days after United considered ditching Sancho and sending him to the desert – quite literally – on loan to Al-Ettifaq.

Mason Greenwood completed his loan move from United to Getafe on deadline day

Greenwood left United by mutual consent following an internal investigation

Had the Saudi Pro League club agreed to buy Sancho next summer for £50m, he would no longer be a United player.

So where does this leave Ten Hag ahead of Saturday’s home game against Brighton? Having lost two of his first four games, he can ill afford another defeat and needs no reminding that his first game as United manager ended in a shock defeat to the Seagulls, who are flying again this season.

With Antony out of the game for the time being and Sancho unlikely to feature any time soon, Ten Hag will have to decide on the best option available.

Amad is currently recovering from surgery on the knee injury he sustained in a friendly against Arsenal in New Jersey in July.

Pellistri continues to show promise, but the young Uruguayan has only made two appearances off the bench this season and may not be ready to start yet.

The 21-year-old will not be back in Manchester until Wednesday at the earliest after playing in his country’s World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Ecuador.

Amad Diallo is currently sidelined after undergoing knee surgery sustained during United’s tour of the United States

Pellistri has limited first-team experience, having come off the bench twice this season

The most likely outcome is that Alejandro Garnacho comes into the lineup and plays in his preferred position on the left, while Marcus Rashford moves to the right.

Garnacho will certainly feel he has something to prove after being substituted in United’s first two games against Wolves and Tottenham and then on the bench in their next two games against Nottingham Forest and Arsenal.

Ten Hag has also deployed captain Bruno Fernandes out on the right, particularly in big games where United need to step up defensively, with Christian Eriksen taking up the number 10 role. New signing Mason Mount would also factor into this equation if he was fit.

Rasmus Hojlund made his United debut as a substitute in the defeat to Arsenal eight days ago and it remains to be seen whether the Danish striker will be ready for his first appearance against Brighton.

If so, Antony Martial could be deployed on the wing, which many consider to be his best position anyway.

The lack of right-sided options means Marcus Rashford could be substituted from the left

Ten Hag is not short of options, as you would expect from a manager who has spent £400m on players since his appointment last year.

But the drama surrounding Antony and Sancho over the last week has presented the United manager with a problem he could never have foreseen.