Antony in action for Real Betis.
Antony was signed by Man Utd in 2022 as he followed now-sacked manager Erik ten Hag to the club from Ajax.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim may well have choked on his drink when he saw Antony's agent Junior Pedroso's explosive interview.
Speaking to Marca, Pedroso laid the blame for Antony's drop in form squarely at the door of Amorim and that it was the attitude around the club which set the Brazil forward up to fail. "We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim, but we completely disagree with his analysis [of the winger]," he told the Spanish media outlet.
"To attribute Antony's lack of success at United solely to the question of physicality is a very superficial argument and does not reflect reality. The truth is that Antony has not had enough prominence or the confidence necessary to play his best football.
"Of the 15 games in which Amorim [has] managed Manchester United, he only used Antony in nine with a total of 252 minutes played. This represents only 18.6 per cent of the total possible minutes (1,350 minutes).
"How can you judge an athlete without a minimum sequence to prove his worth? The manager's statement, while although perhaps it was not his intention, ends up devaluing La Liga and the Spanish competitions.
"Spanish football has one of the most competitive leagues in the world, with top-level teams which constantly compete in the final stages of the Champions League and the Europa League. The reality is that Antony, since he arrived at Real Betis, has become one of the best players in the team and in the competition itself, demonstrating his full potential when given the right conditions to develop his game.
"This highlights a problem was not the physicality, but the context and the way he was managed in Manchester. Many players who do not prosper at United find success at other clubs, which leads us to wonder if the problem really lies with the players."
The Manchester Evening News has, subsequently, pulled together the opinions of our United writers on Pedroso's comments and what they mean for the Brazilian moving forward;
Jack Flintham
We have been under the impression that Antony has been keen to prove himself at United, and he was reluctant to leave Old Trafford even when it was clear he would not be used in Amorim's system. And yet, his agent looks to have taken it upon himself to scupper any hopes of the Brazilian making it at Old Trafford.
Let's be frank, it is not like Antony was a world beater before Amorim arrived, was it? He was given chance after chance by Erik ten Hag to prove himself even when Amad and Alejandro Garnacho were more deserving of starts but, even under the manager who trusted him the most, he was not delivering.
This season, it was clear that Ten Hag had enough of Antony and he was looking at other options. All Amorim has done has continue and perhaps finalise that process.
Antony has been sorely let down by his agent's comments and this could have scuppered any opportunity for him to take his newly discovered form at Betis back to United in the future.
Matty Hewitt
It's not unfamiliar to see an agent address the media regarding their client, but it's certainly an interesting one in Antony's case. If reports are correct and there is no option to buy the Brazilian winger, then it's a bizarre situation.
It's fair to say the 25-year-old has been nowhere near the level that his £82million transfer to United had required. So blaming Amorim for not using the winger often enough, when he wasn't exactly setting the world alight before the Portuguese head coach's arrival, sounds like someone trying to re-write the rhetoric to me.
Going toe-to-toe with the manager rarely ends well for any player involved and, even though Antony hasn't made those comments himself, it would be very surprising if he wasn't aware of his agent's stance. Perhaps there is some truth in the Brazilian being utilised in a system that suits him, but even Ten Hag had resorted to alternatives.
That's another example of United's dismal recruitment in recent years and an argument for another day.
Antony has had ample opportunity to prove his worth. His United tenure is all-but over, barring a major U-turn and the club should cash in on him while his stock is 'high' in relative terms.
Bruna Reis
It's fair to say Antony has had a tough few years at the club and the arrival of Amorim appears to have only made matters worse for him, having end up at Betis as a result. Having said that, the 25-year-old has not been anywhere near the level he should have been since his move from Ajax, almost three years ago.
However, these comments made by his agent I believe has harmed any chances of him succeeding at Old Trafford in the near future, when he comes back from his loan spell at Betis. If Amorim remains in charge come next season, it's difficult to see the pair getting along which could lead to Antony being limited to regular opportunities.
While United are unlikely to recoup what they spent on him, if he can carry his fine form to the end of the season, the club should take advantage and cash-in on him.
Kieran Horn
Antony has been performing well since joining Betis on loan, but the two years prior to that show his agent really has no place to question United and Amorim.
Ultimately, the Spanish top-flight suits him far, far more and a number of uninspiring cameos showed that he was struggling to reach the level required to be successful in the Premier League. Of course Pedroso wants the best for his client, but this is certainly an interesting way to try and show that.
His stock will have risen as of late, but recouping the significant sum paid for his services in the summer of 2022 is highly unlikely. A permanent departure at the end of the season is now far more feasible especially with interested suitors sure to increase and the chances of United wanting to keep him heading in the opposite direction.
Amie Wilson
It's often 'catch 22' with players struggling to make an impression with a team, as Antony was with United under Amorim. They need game time to play themselves into form, but managers can't give them that game time when they are performing poorly.
But it's not as if Antony wasn't offered ample opportunity to impress, before the appointment of Amorim at Old Trafford. While it may have been frustrating for the winger under the new manager, the comments from his agent seem ill-advised, especially when he's due to return to Old Trafford in the summer - it seems that he doesn't have a long-term future at the club.
Some players just don't suit the intensity of the football in the Premier League, and that may be the case with Antony. He has impressed in Spain at Betis, and I can see his future now being back in Europe with United most likely to cash-in on him this summer.
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