Manchester United winger Antony claims that the sunnier weather in Spain has helped him produce better performances during his loan spell at Real Betis.
Asked for an explanation for his improvement since leaving England for Seville during the January transfer window, the Brazilian replied:
“The sun here helps a lot, and the city (Seville) is better than Manchester.”
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Many United fans will undoubtedly take issue with his answer but his displays since joining Betis have certainly been impressive.
Antony is averaging a goal involvement every 1.25 matches
Since arriving in Spain, the 25-year-old has scored 4 goals and provided 4 assists in 10 appearances, with his latest contributions coming in the Conference League win over Vitoria Guimaraes on Thursday evening.
Antony scored Betis’s third goal and created the fourth in a 4-0 win as his team went through to the quarter-finals, 6-2 on aggregate.
The United manager has a different reason for the winger’s success in Spain
Head coach Ruben Amorim sanctioned Antony’s departure on a temporary basis at the end of January. Some were right to ask why an £86m signing had been let go on loan if he was capable of this level of performance.
However, Amorim made it clear that the key difference between the Premier League and other countries is “physicality” and he insists that Antony is simply more comfortable with the demands of La Liga.
Some will debate whether it is a satisfactory reason but Antony himself seems to be happier with things off the pitch as well, which is definitely contributing to his better form.
Even if he does continue in the same vein until the end of the campaign, many feel that he is unlikely to come back to Old Trafford and become a regular starter. His loan spell will, at the very least, help to increase his value in the transfer market.
Read more in our exclusive interview with Lee Sharpe as the former Manchester United player discusses Joshua Zirkzee and the prospect of signing Jean-Philppe Mateta