Antony is enjoying the form of his life on loan at Real Betis, calling the move away from Manchester United “the best decision I’ve ever made” and hinting that he was unhappy at Old Trafford.
The Brazilian winger was an expensive flop for the Red Devils, brought in for some £81m as an emergency upgrade to Erik ten Hag’s attack.
But having fallen out of favour under current manager Ruben Amorim the 25-year-old moved to Real Betis on loan in the winter transfer window, where his performances have been astonishing.
In 20 matches for the La Liga side, Antony has scored seven goals and provided four assists – just one fewer than he managed in 96 games in United red.
And in an interview with Jorge Valdano, via Mundo Deportivo, the player explained how incredibly happy he is at his temporary club, implying that he was less than content at United.
“I always say that the best decision I’ve ever made was coming to Betis,” he said. “I’m happy, and when I’m happy, things go well.
“For me, of course, it’s important to score goals and provide assists, but being happy is even more important. I found myself here, I’m very happy here, and things are going very well.”
Antony is turning in the kind of swashbuckling attacking displays United fans had hoped for after his arrival from Ajax. Most recently, he curled an exquisite last-minute winner into the top corner against Espanyol to keep Betis’ Champions League hopes alive.
And should they make it to that competition, there is little doubt that they would love to do so with Antony still in their squad.
When asked about his future, the Brazilian said: “It’s very early; I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m very happy here. I’ve found myself enjoying football.
“It’s crazy right now, although I know how talented I am, so I prioritized going where I knew I’d be happy, even though I had better offers.”
While Betis and Antony seem to be a match made in heaven, reality is likely to hit hard at the end of the season with United desperate to secure a profitable permanent transfer for the player rather than sanction another loan.
Atletico Madrid are believed to have submitted an opening offer of €40m for him, while Arsenal have also emerged as surprise suitors.
Meanwhile Betis have held fresh negotiations with the Red Devils to try and keep hold of their man however they can.
Featured image Fran Santiago via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
