How Man Utd's biggest ever transfer flop Antony is suddenly looking like an ?85m player again
Antony has been reborn at Real Betis (Picture: Getty/Metro)
With Manchester United reeling after their worst season in over 50 years, one player who managed to escape the gloom at Old Trafford looks reborn.
In less than five months, Antony has become a hero at Real Betis – recapturing the electric form that (somehow) convinced United officials to pay £85million for his services two-and-a-half years ago.
While he may never truly justify that colossal price tag, this version of Antony has been one of the best players in Spain since the turn of the year with his career firmly reignited ahead of Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final against Chelsea.
Almost immediately after touching down in Andalusia on a six-month loan deal, Antony began making up for lost time. His first three La Liga appearances delivered two goals and two assists, one of them a sensational volley against Real Sociedad.
Scoring stunners has become a bit of a trademark much to the anguish of United fans so used to watching him flounder, adding two more to his highlight reel in both Europa Conference semi-final legs home and away to Fiorentina.
Get personalised updates on Manchester United every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you.
ACF Fiorentina v Real Betis Balompie - UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Semi Final Second Leg
Antony is reborn at Real Betis (Picture: Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Antony hasn’t single-handedly dragged Betis to the final – Isco is another to have found some redemption at Betis, returning to fitness and form this year. But his return of nine goals and five assists in 25 games has been vital.
Between the three of them, Rasmus Hojlund (three), Alejandro Garnacho (three) and Joshua Zirkzee (three) have just managed to match his contribution in the same time back in Manchester.
Manchester United v Nottingham Forest - Premier League
Antony’s time at United could end this summer (Picture: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Antony ‘an important player’ after leaving Man Utd
‘He has not surprised me because I knew him before from England,’ Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini said. ‘Also, when you buy a player for that amount of money it is not always because you made a mistake.
‘Maybe there are some reasons why Antony could not play the way he knows at Manchester United, but that is another thing. When he arrived here he looked assured in the way we play and confident in his game, so I thought he would be an important player.’
United fans will remember how well Antony hit the ground running in Manchester. Three days after his big-money arrival from Ajax, the Brazil international scored 35 minutes into his debut against Arsenal.
More goals followed against Manchester City and Everton to make it three in three. While the goals and assists swiftly began to dry up, there were still some telling contributions in his first season, notably his wonderful strike against Barcelona in the Europa League play-off.
But a woeful return of three goals in two assists in the entire 2023/24 season turned up the heat. A solitary goal was his only contribution in United colours this term – a token penalty handed to him in a 7-0 trouncing of Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.
ACF Fiorentina v Real Betis Balompie - UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Semi Final Second Leg
Antony in love and loved at Betis (Picture: Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Antony eager to stay in Spain where Betis adore him
Ruben Amorim handed him 287 minutes of game time across nine games after he arrived to replace Erik ten Hag. While initially eager to draw improvement out of the former Sao Paulo star, his exit was given the green light with the United boss alluding to a lack of physicality when discussing the winger’s struggles.
Antony has found genuine happiness in Spain with the feeling very much mutual with the fans who are desperate to keep him. ‘If I have to provide the car to kidnap him, I will’, Betis legend Joaquin joked. ‘However it happens, he has to stay.’
The financial situation at Benito Villamarín Stadium means a permanent deal might be out of their reach unless United are feeling particularly generous. If another arrangement with Los Verdiblancos cannot be found, Atletico Madrid are among his growing list of admirers.
Why is Antony considered one of the worst signings in history?
How has Antony found the form that so woefully deserted him at United? Anyone curious need only look at the fortunes of Scott McTominay this season – leaving Old Trafford last summer to become league-winning legend at Napoli.
The weight of the shirt and the chaos and expectation around the club so often drags players down. In an interview this week, Antony revealed he went ‘days without eating, staying locked in my room’ during his darkest moments in Manchester. A change of scenery, particularly one bathed in the Andalusian sun, can do wonders, too.
Manchester United v Chelsea FC - Premier League
Erik ten Hag brought Antony with him from Ajax (Picture: Getty Images)
Amorim’s concerns over Antony’s physicality frustrated the player’s agent but may have some basis. Despite having his own tenacious qualities, all too often he found himself bullied and outfought wearing United red. In his last meaningful appearance for United, coming against rock-bottom Southampton in January, Antony lost half his ground duels (four of eight) during his time on the pitch. His stats in Spain across every metric have dramatically improved and in La Liga, he looks a stronger, faster player, playing without fear.
On Wednesday night, Antony could come up against a fellow United outcast in Jadon Sancho, another brought in for a substantial fee they are now desperate to offload. Antony’s future is looking bright again but it’s damning of the state of United that it has taken a move away to show just how good he can be.
MORE: Joe Cole names Chelsea star as ‘most improved player in the Premier League’
MORE: Chelsea ‘favourites’ to sign Premier League star despite Man Utd agreement
MORE: Arsenal and Chelsea told £64m star ‘almost guarantees’ them the Premier League title