Man Utd winger Antony has decided that he wants to remain at Spanish side Real Betis at the end of the season, according to reports.
The Red Devils have had a nightmare season in the Premier League with Ruben Amorim’s side currently 14th after 28 matches.
Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag in November and identified a number of players who didn’t in with his plans at Old Trafford, with Antony one of those flops to depart.
Antony, who joined Man Utd in a £85m deal from Ajax in 2022, didn’t start a Premier League match in the first half of the season and Amorim’s 3-4-3 system didn’t suit the Brazilian, who was shipped out on loan to La Liga side Real Betis.
But Antony has found a new home at Betis with the Brazil international providing two goals and two assists in his first six La Liga matches for the Spanish outfit, while he has bagged two goals in four Europa Conference League fixtures.
And now The Sun (via the Daily Express) claim that Antony has ‘made up his mind’ on a transfer in the summer with the winger ‘desperate’ to leave Man Utd for Spain permanently.
Relaying The Sun‘s information, the Daily Express wrote:
‘According to The Sun, Antony is keen to stay in Spain, with sources close to the player suggesting he is eager to remain at Real Betis, while Real Sociedad are also interested.
‘Given United’s financial woes, they would likely consider serious offers for Antony, despite facing a significant loss on the £82million they paid for him two-and-a-half years ago.’
It comes hot on the heels of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s interview on Monday in which he called out five Man Utd stars, including Antony, for being “overpaid” and “not good enough”.
Ratcliffe said: “If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn’t buy, we’re buying Antony, we’re buying Casemiro, we’re buying Onana, we’re buying Hojlund, we’re buying Sancho.
“These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out. For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea and we pay half his wages, we’re paying £17m to buy him in the summer.
“Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid. But for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time. We’ve got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future.”
Amorim insisted that the reason Antony struggled to get to grips with the Premier League was his “physicality” but the Brazilian’s agent recently hit back at the Man Utd boss’ “very superficial argument”.
Antony’s agent Junior Pedroso said: “We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim, but we completely disagree with his analysis. To attribute Antony’s lack of success at Manchester United solely to the question of physicality is a very superficial argument and does not reflect reality.
“The truth is that Antony has not had enough prominence or the confidence necessary to play his best football. Of the 15 games in which Amorim managed Manchester United, he only used Antony in nine, with a total of 252 minutes played.
“This represents only 18.6% of the total possible minutes (1,350 minutes). How can you judge an athlete without a minimum sequence to prove his worth?”
Pedroso continued: “The manager’s statement, although perhaps it was not his intention, ends up devaluing La Liga and the Spanish competitions.
“Spanish football has one of the most competitive leagues in the world, with top-level teams that constantly compete in the final stages of the Champions League and the Europa League.
“The reality is that Antony, since he arrived at Real Betis, has become one of the best players in the team and in the competition itself, demonstrating his full potential when given the right conditions to develop his game.
“This highlights that the problem was not the physicality, but the context and the way he was managed in Manchester.
“Many players who do not prosper at United find success at other clubs, which leads us to wonder if the problem really lies with the players.”