Manchester United flop Antony has recovered his form during his loan spell with Spanish side Real Betis and it does not appear that an Old Trafford return is on his agenda for now
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Antony
Antony has given a clue about his future(Image: Real Betis Balompié/Youtube)
Antony insists he holds no ill feelings towards Manchester United having seemingly drawn a line under his rotten spell at Old Trafford. The Brazilian winger joined the Red Devils for an initial £86m from Ajax in September 2022.
But he endured a disastrous time of things with United. Antony, 25, scored just 12 goals in 96 appearances for the club before he was shipped off to Spanish side Real Betis on loan in January.
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And he has finally shown some of his best form in La Liga having scored four goals and notched four assists in just 11 outings in all competitions. His future remains up in the air though with Betis having neither an obligation or option to buy.
Should they want to keep him, they would have to re-open negotiations with United regarding another loan or a permanent deal. And it appears that Antony has made a decision on his future having underlined his commitment to Betis, but has refused to blame United for his woes at Old Trafford.
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Speaking to DAZN, the Brazilian said: “If they pay that kind of money for you, it’s because you have talent and quality. 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’s form in Spain is a far cry from the desperate performances he turned in for United. In attempting to find an explanation for his reversal in fortunes, he thinks a change in climate has helped.
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.
Antony
Antony has found better form during his loan spell with Betis
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“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.”
And while Antony has his own reasons, United boss Ruben Amorim has offered his thoughts on his improved form and believes it is down to a lack of physicality in the Spanish leagues. He said: “When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there.
“If you don't have physicality, you will struggle a lot. Antony is so much better now in Spain. It's [because of] a lot of factors but I guarantee you it's physicality.”
But Antony's agent Junior Pedroso was not particularly convinced by those comments and consequently hit back. He said: "We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim but we completely disagree with his analysis. To attribute Antony's lack of success at United solely to physicality is a very superficial argument and does not reflect reality."
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