An emotional Antony was in tears during his Real Betis unveiling as he revealed the levels of torment he had to suffer during his final months at Manchester United.
The Brazil international excelled during his loan spell with Real Betis in the second half of last season, but then had to wait until deadline day in order to complete a £21.65million permanent move back to the LaLiga outfit.
Man Utd spent a whopping £82m when they signed Antony from Ajax three years ago, but was completely frozen out of Ruben Amorim’s first-team plans over the summer and forced to train away from his Red Devils teammates.
Betis officially unveiled the Brazilian attacker on Tuesday and the 25-year-old was clearly still emotional after it emerged that a late window was actually in danger of collapsing.
Speaking about his move back to Spain, Antony even fired a cheap shot at Manchester as a city, stating: “Seville is more beautiful than Manchester. I’m finally here.
“I spent more than 40 days in a hotel, it was very hard, but everyone knew I wanted to return to Betis.
“Now with more time, we have so many things to do and achieve. I had trouble sleeping after seeing so much affection from the Betis fans, there were people waiting at my house at 2am.”
When asked about his final few months at United, Antony replied: “Only my family knows how difficult it was to be there. Training separately… but I knew this incredible moment was coming.
“Of course, I was afraid it wouldn’t happen in the end, but I waited because I had so much faith.”
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Antony only ever wanted Betis return
Meanwhile, Antony also reiterated his desire to return to Betis following his loan spell last season.
“I always made it very clear that my only option was Betis,” Antony said.
“It’s a club I have a lot of affection for. It was always my first choice, and that’s why I waited until the last day. It’s a city I love, and I’m really looking forward to representing all the fans on the pitch.”
Betis president, Angel Haro, meanwhile, revealed he was concerned in the summer that a permanent deal to sign the player was off the table.
“Manchester United didn’t want a loan, but rather to sell the player,” Haro said.
“From there, negotiations began, and I have to admit that there was a moment when they broke down.
“But footballers tend to play wherever they want, and Antony wanted to play for Betis. That has helped a lot.”
Antony is now in line to make a second Betis debut at Levante after the international break.
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