Man United signed Antony in 2022 for a fee that could eventually rise to £86.3million.
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Antony celebrates after a Real Sociedad goal.
Antony has made a brilliant start to life in Spain.(Image: Angel Martinez/Getty Images.)
Antony believes Manchester United thought he was talented enough to warrant the £86.3million deal they committed themselves to to secure his signature in the 2022 summer transfer window.
He joined the club after United had spent much of the summer tracking the Brazilian international. United eventually reached a breakthrough in negotiations with Ajax, agreeing to a fee that could eventually rise to £86.3million.
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Antony struggled to make his mark at Old Trafford and has since left on loan, joining Real Betis in the January transfer window. He will spend the remainder of the season with the Spanish club.
After a testing period at United, he has shown green shoots of recovery with four goals and four assists in his first 11 Betis appearances, prompting the Spanish club to admit they could look into the prospect of signing him on a permanent basis.
Now that he is enjoying himself again, Antony has opened up on his time in Spain so far and touched on his time at Old Trafford, admitting that United clearly felt he had something about him to pay such an eye-watering fee.
"If they pay that kind of money for you, it's because you have talent and quality, Antony told DAZN. "Wherever I go, I'll always speak highly of United.
"I'm very grateful to the club and to Erik ten Hag for what we experienced together, for the titles, and for everything I've learned. I had difficult times there, but also very good ones.
"I think it prepared me to be here today, enjoying myself. My mind is here, and I'm very happy."
Antony has soon settled into life in Spain and he believes that stems from much of the culture being similar to what he is used to back in Brazil.
He added: "I found myself, I needed to find myself and be happy. I needed my family to be happy too. Every day that goes by I see that it was the best decision I could have made.
"I'm enjoying the city, the club and everything. It reminds me a lot of Brazil because of the sun, the food, the people are also very happy. All of that is important for someone like me who is used to it."
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