Manchester United’s season finished on May 25 but for one of their loanees, Antony, May 28 was the most important date on the calendar.
Antony led Real Betis in the UEFA European Conference League final against Chelsea where Jadon Sancho plies his trade on loan (and hopefully permanently!).
Antony has shone at Real Betis, going past the wildest of expectations so the spotlight was firmly on him in the biggest game of Betis’ season.
Unfortunately, Antony struggled vs Chelsea, while Jadon Sancho scored in the final. That is quite a fortune reversal since Antony has impressed in Spain while Sancho has been so bad Chelsea are exploring options to send him back.
In the process, Antony proved Ruben Amorim right. Only this time, neither party will be happy that has happened.
Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
Antony proves Ruben Amorim correct
Antony was such a distressed asset in January that United were happy to send him anywhere, even without a buy clause, as long as he left Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag’s favouritism didn’t do any favours to his standing with the fans, while Amorim didn’t look like he fancied him from the very first moment he arrived.
Therefore, Antony’s form in Spain came as quite a surprise to onlookers, as he was a player transformed with just a change in surroundings.
More United News
While everyone was singing the praises of the Brazilian, Amorim poured cold water on his hot streak, simplifying his success as being down to just one thing – the difference in physicality between the Premier League and La Liga.
After a vanishing act by Antony against Chelsea, a Premier League opponent, Amorim has been proven right in his prediction that he struggles against physical Premier League sides.
At the time, Antony’s agent called out Amorim for simplifying a complex issue but the Conference League final proved that Amorim’s prediction wasn’t far off the mark.
Amorim proven right is not ideal for anyone
While the Man Utd manager has been proven right, it is unlikely that anyone at Old Trafford is popping champagne over that fact.
The reality is that United needed Antony to continue his hot streak when the eyes of the footballing world were on him.
Not only were United set to benefit financially from Betis’ win, but they also needed Antony to answer the question of whether he could succeed against a physical side.
The asterisk put on his form by Amorim nearly three months ago wasn’t removed in the Conference League final.
In fact, it has become a full-blown question mark on what the player’s ceiling is, ending a successful loan spell with a whimper.
It is still quite likely that Betis will try to keep him, but the player’s quality and his contribution aren’t unquestionable anymore.