Antony left Manchester United on loan in the January transfer windowAntony left Manchester United on loan in the January transfer window
Antony left Manchester United on loan in the January transfer window | Getty Images
Man Utd allowed Antony to leave the club on loan in the January transfer window.
Manchester United forward Antony produced another fine performance as he helped Real Betis secure a 1-1 draw with Vitoria Guimaraes in the Conference League on Thursday night. The 25-year-old provided the assist for Cedric Bakambu to give Betis the lead early in the second half as they go in search of a first European trophy.
It marked Antony's third assist since he joined the La Liga club on loan from United earlier this year and means he now has more assists for Betis than the two he managed throughout all of last season. He has also found the back of the net three times in eight appearances for his new club, as many as he scored in 38 appearances for United during the previous campaign.
Antony's impressive performance was the perfect response after he was excluded from the Brazil squad for the forthcoming international break, having been named in the provisional squad for matches against Colombia and Argentina later this month.
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Antony is giving Manchester United exactly what they wanted
A few eyebrows were raised when Antony left Manchester United for Real Betis in a loan deal that does not include the option to make it permanent at the end of the season. It could prove to be a masterstroke. United could have insisted on a fixed fee for Antony to complete a summer move but instead demanded Betis pay a minimum 84% of his current salary demands.
In order not to make a loss on the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules, United would need to sell Antony for £32.52 million this summer. It still looks a little too high for a side to pay, but his impressive form at Betis should see them raise closer to that figure than they would have done if a fixed fee was included in the loan deal.
A full sale is still United's primary focus at the end of the season and the club are not getting distracted by his recent rejuvenation. If the asking price can’t be met, they could look to include several favourable add-ons to provide a long-term gain from any sale.
Antony's agent hits out at Ruben Amorim
Earlier this week, Antony's agent hit out at Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim after he claimed the forward struggled with the physical demands of the Premier League before his loan move to Real Betis.
"We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim, but we completely disagree with his analysis," Antony's agent Júnior Pedroso told Marca. "Associating Antony's lack of success at Manchester United solely with the issue of his physique is a very superficial argument and does not correspond to reality.
"The truth is that Antony has not had enough prominence or the confidence necessary to display his best football. Of the 15 games in which Amorim managed Manchester United, he only used Antony in nine, with a total of 252 minutes played. This represents only 18.6% of the total possible minutes (1,350 minutes). How can you judge an athlete without enough time for him to demonstrate his worth?"
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