Of all the players Manchester United would have bet on improving away from the club, Antony wouldn’t have been one, such was the career low he was suffering from.
However, Antony has surpassed all expectations and not just flourished at Real Betis, but has become their outright talisman in less than three months at the club.
From getting praised by teammates to manager Manuel Pellegrini stressing Antony’s importance, it has been quite a stunning turnaround for the Brazilian.
Ruben Amorim has put that down to physicality, a remark that wasn’t taken kindly by Antony’s agent. Now, the player himself has given two reasons behind his turnaround.
It could signal the end for him at Old Trafford.
Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
Antony on reasons behind Real Betis form
Firstly, it is worth saying that Man Utd benefit immensely from Antony’s good form, so the Brazilian playing well on loan should be celebrated by the club.
Either they get good money for the player in the summer since he doesn’t look like he’ll be in Ruben Amorim’s plans, or he comes back and proves people wrong again, adding to United’s options.
However, if the reasons behind his turnaround are to be believed, (they should be since they come from the horse’s mouth itself!), the latter looks extremely unlikely.
In a TV interview in Spain, Antony has said that his form has improved because he likes the city (Seville) better, with the sun being a major factor.
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He said: “The sun here helps a lot, and the city (Seville) is better here. I’m very happy here”.
Needless to say, the two reasons are completely subjective (some would say factual!), and neither is a reason that the club has any control over.
Therefore, it could be over for him in Manchester, a place clearly not to his liking as much as Seville.
Antony’s transfer continues to age badly for Man Utd
It is not the first time that a South American player has made his preference clear for the sunny skies of Spain or Portugal, for example, over Manchester.
Angel di Maria is the biggest and most infamous example of that phenomenon, so United splurging a king’s ransom for Antony continues to age badly.
Getting the sense of adaptation from a player and his entourage should be one of the key priorities before sealing their transfer, since everyone adapts differently to new conditions.
The fact that this didn’t even come up once when Antony was being chased, or worse still, ignored when it did come up, reflects extremely badly on United.
At the same time, the player needs to take some responsibility as well for not getting his head down to try and come out of this mess but sometimes it’s just impossible to lift the mood.
Add to that intense scrutiny at Man Utd, a sky-high transfer fee, and subpar performances and that combination of factors is a recipe for disaster.
Ultimately, Antony got stuck in a vicious cycle and the change of environment has helped him get out of it. Neither party will benefit from him risking entering it again.