The details of Antony’s move to Real Betis have been revealed following confirmation the Brazilian winger had left Manchester United on loan for the remainder of the season.
The 24-year-old has endured a torrid time since arriving at Old Trafford from Ajax in 2022 for a club-record fee worth £86 million – the most money ever spent on an Eredivisie player.
Antony began life in Manchester brightly, scoring in three consecutive games for his new club. But this form quickly dwindled as it became increasingly evident the Brazilian lacked the physicality and pace to survive in the Premier League, let alone thrive in it.
Despite being reunited with Erik ten Hag following their shared time in Amsterdam, Antony quickly fell down the pecking order at Old Trafford.
And this lack of first-team opportunities has continued under Ten Hag’s successor, Ruben Amorim. There had been some forlorn hope Antony may reinvent himself as a wingback in the 3-4-3 system preferred by the Portuguese coach; but this has, unsurprisingly, not materialised.
United executives were open to Antony’s departure in the January transfer window but there was acceptance a loan move was the only viable exit for an overpaid and underperforming player.
Real Betis emerged as a frontrunner after the 24-year-old winger ruled out moves outside Europe’s big leagues, with interest from Greece and Turkey not being followed up.
And, as relayed by The Peoples Person, Antony’s move to the Liga club has now been sealed with the Brazilian set to travel to Seville tonight to finalise the move.
The Athletic report Real Betis will “cover 84 per cent of the forward’s wages” with Antony currently earning £105,000-a-week at Old Trafford. This means the move is “estimated to trim around £1.5million from United’s balance sheet for the rest of the campaign.”
The deal is a straight loan transfer “without an option to buy” – an implicit acknowledgement that Antony’s dismal performances at United mean his current value on the transfer market is not worth the club committing to. If the Brazilian can regain some of the form in Spain which he demonstrated for Ajax, his potential fee may be much higher come the summer.
The Athletic reports there is “no up front loan fee” but there are “potential bonuses depending on performances for the loan period” included in the deal. This means the £1.5 million saved may even increase by the end of the season.
Given there is a strong argument Antony is the worst signing in Premier League history, this constitutes a reasonable deal for United and is an important first step in enabling the Brazilian winger to depart the club on a permanent deal.
Feature image Paul Ellis via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
