Manchester United have been given renewed hope of recouping a hefty portion of the enormous fee they shelled out for flop winger Antony this summer after a manager waxed lyrical about the Brazilian and even suggested he now understands why the player commanded a €100m move.
Former Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag convinced the board to spend an eye-watering £81m rising to £86m fee to bring the winger with him from Ajax in summer 2022 with the €100m package proving the second-most costly in Manchester United history. A key player under the Dutchman with the Amsterdam giants, United have unfortunately seen very glimpses of the player’s true ability.
Indeed, during his stay so far at Old Trafford, Antony has produced a meagre 17 goal contributions (12 scored, five assists) from 96 appearances – an output of a G/A every 5.64 games.
As a result, it was no surprise to see the 16-times capped Brazil winger shipped out of Old Trafford in January after failing to convince new boss Ruben Amorim he was worth hanging on to.
However, the change of scenery has done wonders for the 25-year-old’s confidence and he was thrived in the less pressurised enviroment with LaLiga outfit Real Betis.
Now the manager who has given his career the kiss of life, Manuel Pellegrini, has talked up the player’s outstanding talents and having backed the Red Devils’ decision to shell out such a big fee for the star.
“He is a very special player, it is not a coincidence when €100m (£86m) are paid for a player. He arrived with the conviction that he had to mature,” Pellegrini told Cadena Ser.
“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.”
IN-DEPTH 🟢⚪ How Antony went from Man Utd flop to ‘top class’ LaLiga star at Real Betis
Can Real Betis afford permanent Antony transfer?
After his struggles at United, it was initially reported that the Red Devils were prepared to accept as little as €40m (£33.5m, $43.3m) to let the player move on in January if the move came with it an obligation to make permanent.
As it was, he instead moved to Andalusia on a dry loan, giving Betis no permanent option, though with the LaLiga club having agreed to cover a larger than expected portion of his salary, and with Fabrizio Romano revealing they will cover 84% of the player’s £200,000 a week salary.
However, having managed four goals and four assists in 11 appearances so far for Betis, fans are finally starting to see what all the fuss is about.
It’s not just his goals output either; Antony is playing with a swagger and freedom that has so far illustrated why he commanded such a hefty fee and left United fans wondering if it’s the club that is actually the problem.
Feeling settled from day one, the player told the media early into his loan: “I needed to find myself and be happy. Every day that goes by, I think it’s the best decision I could have made.
“I learned a lot of good things at Manchester United, but I also experienced a lot of bad things there.”
We understand United chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe will not stand in Antony’s way of making a permanent exit from Old Trafford this summer, having been pleasantly surprised by his revival in Spain.
And earlier this month it was claimed that Betis are already ‘exploring options’ to extend his stay into next season.
As a result of his improved form, Ratcliffe has reportedly told Betis that it would take a fee of €50m (£41.3m, $52.4m) to make the move permanent at the season’s end.
Sadly, after learning the cost of making the move permanent, the report claims Betis have already made it clear they are likely to have to walk away from the discussion, with Ratcliffe’s demands ‘making the operation seem practically impossible’.
To put into some context, Betis’ current transfer record stands at the €30m shelled out for another Brazilian winger, Denilson – that deal going through way back in 1998!
Since then, they have only spent more than €20m on two players – Borja Ingelsias from Espanyol in 2019 and Giovani Lo Celso from PSG the same year.
However, should no other suitors come to the fore, then another season’s loan cannot be ruled out at this stage.
And Betis will hope a similar arrangement to the six-month loan currently agreed could yet twist United’s arm.
In the meantime, Antony has spoken of how he is enjoying his football again in Spain.
“I am very happy here, but I do not know what will happen in the future,” he said. “I always say that I enjoy every day, with the club, the city, everything, and I give my best for the team. It is still too early to talk about my future.”
Antony also said: “I think that to regain my confidence, the most important thing was to reconnect with myself. I found that here, and that’s why I’m very happy and more confident every day.”
Man Utd latest: Ronaldo advises star to sign; ‘exemplary’ defender linked
Meanwhile, Amorim has been given a major boost after Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly told Francisco Trincao to join United this summer.
Ronaldo having allegedly spoken positively about the Red Devils could go some way to earning the veteran star some redemption after his contract was mutually terminated in November 2022 after that interview with Piers Morgan.
Former Wolves man Trincao could replace Alejandro Garnacho in the squad amid fresh claims Amorim has reportedly made it clear he is willing to sell the Argentina winger this summer to increase his transfer funds.
Trincao might not be the only Sporting star to ditch Lisbon for Manchester this summer either after reports overnight claimed United are reportedly poised to step up their interest in Goncalo Inacio with the ‘exemplary’ defender seemingly on agreeing a summer switch.
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