Antony continues to shine away from Manchester United and Carlo Ancelotti has now made a decision on his Brazil role.
The notion of players being much better away from Manchester United just seems to continue.
Scott McTominay won the Serie A title with Napoli on Friday night, scoring a crucial goal to secure top spot.
Benfica left-back Alvaro Fernandez is poised to join Real Madrid, just a year since leaving Old Trafford without being given a first-team chance.
David De Gea is now wanted by Monaco having impressed at Fiorentina, despite spending a year without a club after leaving United in 2023.
The list simply goes on and on, with players thriving away from the Old Trafford pressure – and nobody sums that up quite like Antony.
Photo By Joaquin Corchero/Europa Press via Getty Images
Photo By Joaquin Corchero/Europa Press via Getty Images
Carlo Ancelotti makes swift Antony decision
Antony was often put forward as an example of United’s terrible recruitment.
United paid £85million to sign Antony from Ajax in 2022, reuniting him with his former boss Erik ten Hag.
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Antony started brightly but fizzled out pretty quickly, and he ultimately became completely ineffectual on United’s right flank.
Real Betis took Antony on loan in January and the move to Spain has given the winger a new lease of life.
Antony has now smashed nine goals and five assists in 25 games for Betis, helping fire them to the Europa Conference League final against Chelsea.
Antony’s form has been so impressive that new Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti has immediately brought him back into the national team squad.
Brazil take on Ecuador and Paraguay in June, with Ancelotti making his bow after leaving Real Madrid.
Ancelotti has decided to bring Antony right back into the fold, making a swift call on the winger in his first Brazil squad.
Antony joins the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Richarlison and United-bound Matheus Cunha in Brazil’s attacking options.
TIME CONVOCADO! 🇧🇷
O treinador da Seleção Brasileira, Carlo Ancelotti, anunciou nesta segunda-feira (26) a lista dos convocados para os jogos contra Equador e Paraguai, pelas Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo 2026.
ISSO É BRASIL! 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/oYWYg7R8mh
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) May 26, 2025
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Antony’s record for Brazil
This call-up provides Antony with the chance to land a first Brazil cap since 2023.
Antony has played 16 times for Brazil, scoring just twice, but he fell completely out of favour after a 2-1 defeat to Morocco in March 2023.
Despite playing just 26 minutes of that defeat, Antony became a forgotten man in the Brazil setup.
Now on fire for Betis, Antony is back in contention again after two years in the international wilderness.
This may only bolster United’s hopes of selling Antony this summer, with the winger now doing enough to catch Ancelotti’s eye.
Atletico Madrid have been watching Antony and will surely keep tabs on his progress this summer as the winger prepares to pull on the famous yellow Brazil shirt once more.