Since moving to Real Betis on loan in January, Antony’s career has been on an upward trajectory.
At Manchester United, it had become clear that Antony was not going to be in Ruben Amorim’s plans this season, which meant his exit was best for all involved.
However, when Jason Wilcox and Co. decided to send Antony out on loan, they would never have envisioned things going well for the Brazilian who looked lost in a United shirt.
Since moving to Real Betis, Antony has been outperforming Lamine Yamal with the La Liga side, heralding their winger as a superstar, a drastic change from how he was treated at Old Trafford.
There are numerous reasons behind Antony’s turnaround in form, and Amorim has also had his say on the matter, but no matter why it is happening, it is impressive and encouraging of United’s hopes of selling him this summer.
Now, his manager over in Spain has spoken in glowing terms about Antony.
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Manuel Pellegrini says Antony is evolving at Real Betis
Antony has managed four goals and four assists in just 11 games for Betis since joining the club in January. This form has seen Betis linked with wanting to re-sign Antony this summer, which United may be open to if there is a guarantee of finance.
Now, the words of Manuel Pellegrini to Cadena Ser suggest he would be open to the idea of keeping Antony beyond this season as he praises the Brazilian.
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“He is a very special player, it is not a coincidence when €100 million (£86m) are paid for a player. He arrived with the conviction that he had to mature.
“He has more than enough conditions; more than demonstrating his ability, he is demonstrating his functionality and his capacity to be a practical player.
“Now he is more focused on finishing the play, on taking crosses… He is showing a lot of humility and accepting the challenge of evolving in his career because he is still very young.”
Such high praise should see Betis put their money where their mouth is this summer and give Antony a permanent home in the green and white.
Antony would be open to a move to Betis, but the fee would be the real sticking point.
How much Manchester United need to break a profit from Antony sale
United spent a whopping £86m to sign Antony back in 2022; this fee was an outrageously bad piece of business by the club. Disregarding his performances, United overpaid the scout’s valuation by £61 million, with his value prior to that summer seen in the region of £25m.
Due to this, any chance of receiving a similar fee to this is considered somewhere between impossible and never going to happen.
However, when considering the book value Antony holds, there is a chance United could break even as far as PSR is concerned.
In order to do this, United would need to sell Antony for around £32.5m, which still looks on the high side, but if he continues this form, his valuation could be pushing close to that level.
Perhaps United will allow another loan, which would mean a lower fee in 2026 and would see an on-books profit, but funds are needed this summer to fund the rebuild.