The agent of Manchester United winger Antony, who has made a stunning start on loan at Real Betis, has given an in-depth interview to Fabrizio Romano about what the future holds and how the move came about – including his own ‘freedom’ comment.
With two goals from his first three appearances for Real Betis, including a pair of player-of-the-match awards, it’s safe to say the second half of the season is already going better for him than the first part with Manchester United.
£82m signing Antony became a laughing stock at Man Utd and an example of how not to do business. But his early form in Spain has suggested there is more under the surface.
Now, Antony’s agent Junior Pedroso has explained why Real Betis were chosen as the Brazil international’s next destination – before addressing what comes next.
“This [early success] is possible because Antony is so, so happy,” Pedroso said in his interview with Romano for Give Me Sport. “He’s really happy, you can feel it on and off the pitch.
“He’s been able to adapt very quickly and that’s absolutely crucial – it means we’ve been able to pick the best option possible.
“When we started thinking about and planning Antony’s temporary transfer, we knew it would be a short-term project. Our concern would be for him and his family to adapt quickly and to find a style of play that would enhance his characteristics.
“Everyone’s opinion was unanimous. After that, we mapped out the clubs he could play for and we came up with Betis as the ideal destination.
“Spanish football greatly strengthens Antony’s main technical and physical characteristics. He has more freedom to use all his skills to the advantage of efficiency in attack. That’s why we said yes, and Manchester United approved it too.”
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Pedroso’s reference to the term ‘freedom’ is interesting in light of Jadon Sancho’s recent comment about Marcus Rashford, but seems far less sinister since he was speaking about tactics.
Antony seemed less of a natural fit for the 3-4-2-1 shape Ruben Amorim uses at Man Utd, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get a second chance, according to Pedroso.
“Yes, I can confirm there’s no buy option clause in the contract. So Antony will be a Manchester United player from July,” the agent said.
“Antony respects Amorim a lot, for sure. But we understood in January that his moment at the club was not good, so Manchester United also understood that leaving on loan was the best way for Antony to recover his best form.
“I believe that football is very dynamic. There are no long-term plans to be made. There may still be a few more chapters in his story with Manchester United, or there may not be. This will depend on many factors involving decisions by the club and him in the near future.”
Where else could Antony have gone?
Before Antony signed for Real Betis for the rest of the season, it was known that he was attracting interest elsewhere, such as from Olympiacos.
And Pedroso has even revealed that Antony still had suitors in the Premier League, despite his lack of impact in English football since leaving Ajax in 2022.
“I can tell you that clubs from England also wanted Antony, he had the chance to stay in the Premier League, but we preferred Real Betis.” Pedroso clarified.
“I can also reveal that Saudi Pro League clubs approached us over potential moves. It was another option but Spain was the best possible for the player.”
Real Betis have since hinted they would be interested in keeping Antony next season, although that would entail some financial difficulties.
TEAMtalk has been told that Betis will explore their options regarding Antony, but it’s too early to say exactly how they would go about retaining his services.
At this rate, there could be some other clubs queueing up for the then-to-be 25-year-old as well, while Man Utd would have to consider what they want to do with the player, who remains under contract at Old Trafford until 2027.
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While some may be questioning Man Utd’s success rate given the improving fortunes of Antony and Napoli new boy Scott McTominay, one journalist has explained why the decisions to let those players go were still right.
Meanwhile, TEAMtalk can reveal the strikers that are on Man Utd’s radar as they plan to improve their attack for next season.
But it remains a case of selling to buy, and after an admission by Amorim, three candidates for sale in the summer have been identified.
VOTE: What should Man Utd do with Antony?