Manchester United winger Antony has been backed to become a big player for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, with Diego Costa also revealing his honest opinion on Casemiro.
Much was expected of Antony when he joined Man Utd from Ajax in the summer of 2022 for an initial transfer fee of £81.3million. Erik ten Hag was the manager of the Red Devils at the time, and having worked with the winger at Ajax, the two were expected to form a fruitful partnership at Old Trafford, too.
While Antony showed his brilliance in flashes, the Brazil international failed to play consistently well and struggled to be productive in the final third of the pitch.
After just 12 goals and five assists in 96 appearances for Man Utd, Antony went off to Real Betis on loan in the January transfer window, with head coach Ruben Amorim deciding that there was no room for the winger in his plans.
The 25-year-old has been a revitalised figure at Betis, scoring eight goals and giving five assists in 22 appearances.
Betis have a strong chance of finishing in LaLiga top five and qualifying for the Champions League.
The Spanish club have also reached the final of the UEFA Conference League, where they will face Chelsea.
Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa, who played twice for Brazil before switching his allegiance to Spain, has been hugely impressed with Antony, who, according to Football Insider, is available for just £20-30million this summer.
The 36-year-old believes that Antony could be a star for Brazil at the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, which will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico, despite Seleção having superstar forwards such as Neymar, Raphinha, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Matheus Cunha and Endrick among others.
Costa told The National: “So Anthony lacked a little patience. He also went through a lot of messed up things. I know about family issues. So the kid’s head was very messed up because he’s very talented. Antony is very good, and look, now that he’s happy, he’s calm, he’s having an impressive season.
“It’s very easy to criticise from the outside, but as players, our heads count for a lot. If we’re not clean, it ends up affecting the field. He had a very difficult problem behind him because of the accusation against him but now he’s fine. He’s calm. He’s happy and confident. Look how he’s doing at Betis.
“If he carries on like this he’s a player who’s going to be there to play in the World Cup.”
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Man Utd midfielder Casemiro described as a ‘legend’
Costa has also raved about Casemiro and has backed the Man Utd midfielder to become a big player for Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti.
Ancelotti will leave his role as the Real Madrid manager at the end of the season and will become the new head coach of Brazil.
Casemiro has not played for Brazil since October 2023, but Costa believes that the 33-year-old former Real Madrid defensive midfielder needs to be back playing for his national team.
Costa said: “Casemiro is a legend, right? One of the best and he must come back to the Brazilian national team. He has experience, he fights, he battles, he hits the target, he knows where the pitch is.
“So he should be selected because Brazil has a very young team and he has experience and respect. There are players in Brazil right now who are very young, they’re not manly enough to withstand the pressure, the criticism, to swallow it and fight, to change opinions.
“Casemiro should be a very important player for the national team. I don’t know why he stopped playing in Manchester but I’m glad he’s playing again.”
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