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Man Utd star reveals he feels ‘safer’ away from Old Trafford but admits it’s ‘too early to talk about my future’

Man Utd winger Antony says he feels “more secure” since leaving Old Trafford with the Brazilian loving life at Real Betis.

Antony, who signed from Ajax for £85m in 2022, played 407 minutes in all competitions this season over 14 appearances, three of which were in the starting XI.

His time in the team slightly improved following the arrival of Amorim as manager but the new Man Utd head coach didn’t stand in the way of his exit from Old Trafford.

Antony eventually sealed a loan move away from Man Utd in January with the Red Devils allowing him to complete a temporary move to Spanish side Real Betis.

The Brazilian was MVP on his debut for Betis in the 2-2 draw with Athletic Bilbao and was once again picked out as the top performer in his new club’s 3-2 defeat to Celta Vigo shortly after.

Antony has contributed two goals and two assists in four La Liga matches since joining Real Betis and the Man Utd loanee insists he now feels “more secure” and “safer” than at Old Trafford.

Antony told Kooora: “The most important thing to regain my confidence was to reconnect with myself. I found myself here and that’s why I’m very happy at Betis. Every day I feel more secure.

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Man Utd stars ‘angry’ at Amorim with ‘frustrated’ squad ‘blamed’ for redundancies amid internal ‘fear’
👉 Marcus Rashford makes Villa transfer ‘decision’ as two Euro giants ‘enter race’ with three reasons given
👉 Amorim ‘private talks’ with ‘sulking’ Man Utd star revealed after ‘attitude’ causes ‘problems in the dressing room’

“Pellegrini is very important to me. Before signing with Betis, I spoke to him, and he gave me a lot of confidence. His experience and history give me energy every day to do well.

“When I made the decision to come here, it was to find myself again, as I mentioned before. There is always pressure, but the greatest pressure I felt was when I was living in the poor neighbourhoods of Brazil, thinking about my family and everything.”

There looks little way back for Antony at Old Trafford with Man Utd set to target new forward in the summer after he and Marcus Rashford left the club on loan.

Antony added: “I’m very happy here, but I don’t know what will happen in the future.

“I always say that I enjoy every day with the club, the city and everything that surrounds me, and I give my best for the team. It’s still too early to talk about my future.

“I know how much money they paid for me. I worked and continue to work hard to perform at the highest level, but I don’t focus on transfer prices, neither mine nor any other player’s.”

Official: United learn new dates and times for four key PL fixtures as business end of the season approaches

Manchester United have had four of their April fixtures handed new dates and kick-off times, following the announcement of the Premier League’s latest TV selections.

United are set to play five Premier League matches in April but the Old Trafford meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers remains unchanged.

Ruben Amorim and his players are still scheduled to welcome Wolves on Saturday 19 April, with the match kicking off at 15:00 BST.

United’s trip to the City Ground to face Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest side remains on April 1 but the meeting has been put back by 15 minutes to 20:00 BST instead of the original time of 19:45 BST.

The reverse fixture ended in a 3-2 loss for United, with goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes not enough to overturn strikes from Nikola Milenkovic, Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood.

It was in the immediate aftermath of that loss that Dan Ashworth was shockingly dismissed from his role as United’s sporting director.

Five days after going away to Forest, United will host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the Theatre of Dreams.

The contest was originally scheduled to kick off at 15:00 BST on Saturday, April 5. However, it has now been moved to a 16:30 BST kick-off slot on Sunday, April 6.

The match will be part of Sky Sports’ Super Sunday coverage and will follow the earlier clash between Fulham and Liverpool. The reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium in December kicked off at the same time.

United will have the chance to complete a league double over the reigning Champions, having beaten them 2-1 in December.

On the other side of the derby day clash with City, United’s trip to St James’ Park to battle Newcastle on Sunday, April 13 will also be part of Sky Sports’ Super Sunday coverage, with the game being given a 16:30 BST kick-off time slot.

It was originally planned to happen the day earlier, at 15:00 BST.

United then close April with a trip to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth on Sunday, April 27. Proceedings will kick off at 14:00 BST and will be broadcast on Sky Sports.

Four of our April games have been moved, including the Manchester derby 👀#MUFC || #PL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 28, 2025

It’s important to note that Bournemouth vs. United will be re-arranged if either of the two sides advances to the FA Cup semi-finals.

Featured image Julian Finney via Getty Images


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Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!

Video: new United signing scores outrageous goal in Copa Libertadores, Amorim will be licking his lips

Manchester United fans have already seen one of their January signings in action with Patrick Dorgu impressing in his first three games for the club.

Wednesday’s red card will be a learning curve for the Dane and he will bounce back with support from his coach and teammates.

Another January signing Ayden Heaven is yet to feature for the first team but has represented the reserves. But it is the third signing who has been the most impressive.

The Red Devils signed Diego Leon from Cerro Porteno in a £3.3 million deal with the Paraguayan set to remain in Paraguay for now before eventually linking up with the Red Devils in July.

Leon shining

And he has been on fire in recent weeks, netting for the Paraguay U20s and now for his club in his first Copa Libertadores game this term.

He scored his team’s opener in the 3-1 win over Monagas SC and the goal was a thing of beauty and it highlighted how much of an attacking threat he can be. Leon had missed his side’s comfortable 4-0 first-leg over their Venezuelan opponents.

The left-back bombed forward and was found with a brilliant through ball. He had time on his hands and made perfect use of it, striking a low hard finish into the bottom corner.

🎥 – Summer signing Diego León SCORES for Cerro Porteño in the Libertadores

[@futteboleiros] pic.twitter.com/rGNJrmD419

— 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐫 (@UtdEra_) February 27, 2025

While he has mainly played as a full-back, the goal and his performance highlighted why the 20-time English league champions thought the 17-year-old would be the perfect fit in Amorim’s system.

Looks a Perfect fit

The Paraguay U20 international had three shots and completed two key passes as well. He was defensively resolute as well, completing two clearances as well as the same number of tackles.

Which is why he was handed a match rating of 7.8 on Sofascore, the second highest among all his teammates.

United officials will be more than pleased with his form and will hope he can carry on in the same vein before finally arriving at the Theatre of Dreams.

Leon was already given a tour of the Carrington training ground and Old Trafford in January after he signed his contract and completed his medical.

He was also pictured with United stars Lisandro Martinez and Alejandro Garnacho in the training ground canteen.


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Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25

United turn to tech in desperate bid to solve the key issue crippling Amorim’s masterplan – report

Manchester United are reportedly turning to tech to get on top of injuries, with Ruben Amorim currently missing nine first-team players.

According to the Manchester Evening News, United want to create an algorithm to help predict injuries for new signings.

The newspaper reports that the club have “approached the University of Manchester to see if any students or staff have the skill set to develop an algorithm as part of their data overhaul.”

The Red Devils have long been perceived as behind the curve when it comes to data, with even co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe claiming that “we’re still in the last century on data analysis here.”

It’s therefore unsurprising to see the club looking to take strides in that area, although the MEN offer a cautionary tale about a previous effort made to predict injuries at Carrington.

In 2012, Sir Alex Ferguson gushed that their new medical centre was “a big signing for us and probably the most important step forward we have taken in a long, long time.”

Two years later the Toshiba Medical Centre opened and predicted lasting fitness and good health for centre-backs Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans – not one of them made more than 30 appearances that campaign.

It’s a problem which has not gone away, and two weeks ago United faced Tottenham Hotspur with 12 players on the sidelines as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat.

Last season Erik ten Hag had to contend with 66 separate cases of injury or illness, making his difficult job even tougher.

Mason Mount was handed to the Dutchman as a marquee signing, with United forking out a huge £60m for a player who would be a free agent 12 months down the line, but spent much of the season out injured.

He has barely featured in this campaign, and is almost as big a symbol of United’s injury troubles as Luke Shaw, who has played only 278 of a possible 595 matches since joining in September 2014.

The report cites a club source explaining that United have used “extensive data science to manage players’ workloads to try and reduce and avoid injuries” but there is clearly a need for more, with Amorim short of senior options amidst a terrible run of form.

Should they pull of the creation of an algorithm to go even some of the way to anticipating the fitness of players under consideration for transfer, it will be a significant boost to a club that currently seems to be going backwards in almost every area.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images


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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.

Man Utd: Amorim reveals unique punishment for ‘sulking’ star; disagrees with X-rated Keane outburst

Ruben Amorim has revealed how Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho was punished after he headed straight down the tunnel against Ipswich Town.

Man Utd returned to winning ways on Wednesday night to beat relegation candidates Ipswich Town, battling back from behind to win 3-2 with ten men.

The Red Devils are still languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table and their win against Ipswich did not come without difficulty.

Garnacho was sacrificed for Noussair Mazraoui after Patrick Dorgu was sent off and the winger immediately walked down the tunnel after exiting the pitch.

It’s since been revealed that Amorim has had ‘private talks’ with United’s ‘sulking’ star, who has been ordered to “pay for dinner for all the team” after an “investigation”.

“He came to me, to my office,” Amorim said.

READ: Man Utd car crash season explained by two atrocious transfer ‘green lights’ ahead of Palmer signing

“I did some investigation. He [Garnacho] went to dressing room, watched the game, then went home. It is not an issue but I told him that at Manchester United everything is an issue. At this club, perception is important, perception is important.

“He will pay for dinner for all the team. That is it.”

Earlier this week, club legend Keane caused a stir as he went on a quite extraordinary rant about United captain Fernandes. 

“I see fans at matches and they’re singing for Bruno. I see these boys, I think you’re f***ing imposters!” Keane said on the Stick To Football Podcast.

After Ian Wright attempted to defend Fernandes, Keane continued: “Ah Wrighty, I’ve had enough of that rubbish!

You watch United every week, we focus more on United. Sit and watch a game with him! People pretend to be closing people down. Talent is not enough! You keep going back to talent – Bruno’s a talented player, but it’s not enough!”

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👉 Man Utd ‘ready to hijack’ Newcastle deal as Romano reveals Amorim stance on Onana

“Who were you in the dressing room with, Tony Adams! Tony Adams was this, Tony Adams was that, because he was a fighter!

“You’ve got young players who have to look at somebody and go ‘I like what he does’. They all can’t put the ball in the top of the net from 25 yards, I get that, but you want someone who’s going ‘Lads, are you with me? Are you with me?’”

In response, Amorim has explained why he disagrees with Keane, with Fernandes “playing well in a difficult context”.

“I heard about that. I have a different opinion,” Amorim responded.

“Bruno is really important for us and the club. He is playing well in a difficult context. He wants always the responsibility.

“I know sometimes as a captain he does things with his arms but most of all it is a lot of frustration for this year and the last year. He wants to win and sometimes it is hard to deal with that frustration.

“Everyone has an opinion. Roy Keane has big standards from his time at the club and it is normal to have an opinion. I have an opposite opinion and I think my opinion is more important than Roy Keane’s because I am the coach.”

Euro giants plotting shock move for United star who has become huge financial burden at club – report

AC Milan are showing an interest in signing Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, as per reports.

United have been trying to get rid of Casemiro since last summer but the club’s highest-paid player is yet to find a new destination.

The ex-Real Madrid man arrived at Old Trafford in 2022 amid much fanfare to fix the Red Devils’ midfield issues.

The five-time Champions League winner enjoyed a positive start but a sharp physical decline in his second season underlined why Los Blancos were happy to part ways with their star defensive midfielder.

Fast forward to now, Casemiro has become a sort of burden at Old Trafford, owing to his poor performances and astronomical wages, believed to be around £350,000-per-week.

Despite facing an injury crisis, Ruben Amorim is doing his best to not start the 33-year-old midfielder and has instead placed his trust in Bruno Fernandes to play a deeper role alongside Manuel Ugarte.

AC Milan could sign Manchester United midfielder Casemiro

According to a report in Spain, Milan could ease United’s concerns and hand Casemiro an opportunity to move to newer pastures.

As per Fichajes, Milan have set their sights on the veteran midfielder ahead of the summer.

The Rossoneri believe his leadership qualities could be key for Sérgio Conceição’s side and the Brazil international’s presence would make them more coherent, tactically.

It is added that United are open to selling Casemiro if they receive a convincing offer and Milan could take advantage of the situation.

However, his ridiculous contract that still has more than 12 months left to run could create “obstacles in the operation.”

Recently, The Peoples Person covered a report claiming Casemiro is not ready to “give up a penny” to join a new club. A nightmare situation for Ineos who are desperate to trim the side’s wage bill.

Featured image Eddie Keogh via Getty Images


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Vishal has covered football for over five years. Currently a writer at The Peoples Person. Big fan of ball-playing center-backs!

Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd need greater than most in ranking PL teams by how much they need FA Cup glory

Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham have all been dumped out, opening the FA Cup up for the remaining 11 Premier League teams to battle for the famous old gong.

But for which of those clubs does it Mean More? We’ve ranked them by how much they should give a damn.

11) Ipswich Town
Monday’s trip to Nottingham Forest may well be a welcome break from what has been a horror run in the Premier League for Kieran McKenna’s side, which has seen them pick up just one point in their last seven games, in which they’ve shipped 22 goals. But retaining top-flight status has to be the priority.

10) Nottingham Forest
A trip to Wembley would be lovely. A trip to the Bernabeu would be better.

9) Wolves
Vitor Pereira’s side will in all likelihood have enough to stay in the Premier League given their five-point buffer and superior footballers, so there’s no need to field a weakened side against Bournemouth on Saturday ahead of the visit of Everton the week after, but the FA Cup will feel more like a free hit and a way to keep things ticking over rather than an opportunity that can’t be spurned.

8) Bournemouth
We’re not even sure the Vitality Stadium will meet the UEFA guidelines to host Champions League nights, but that raises the delightful prospect of them having to play those games at St Mary’s if Andoni Iraola does the unthinkable and leads them into the qualification spots.

That looked far more likely before consecutive defeats to Brighton and Wolves, which has likely further focused their attention on that keenly fought race rather than the FA Cup.

7) Brighton
Three hugely impressive wins on the bounce for Fabian Hurzeler’s side after their fallow period reached its zenith with that embarrassing 7-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest means Brighton are now very much in the Champions League mix. A tangible reward for their incredible progression over the last few years now isn’t as important as it felt a couple of weeks ago.

6) Manchester City
Probably going to win it because Pep Guardiola doesn’t really do potless seasons, with his only blank drawn in his first with City back in 2016/17. It would also be fun to see them lift the trophy before Richard Masters rips it from their grasp as the FFP hammer renders this glory and all others null and void.

Champions League football is a far greater need but we’re finding it hard to imagine them failing to qualify.

5) Aston Villa
They’re a very strange team at the moment, with their last seven Premier League games featuring just one win over Chelsea, very respectable draws against Arsenal and Liverpool, and crushing defeats to Wolves and Crystal Palace.

There was also a sense of panic to their January business – decent though it seems – as Unai Emery struggles to get his team fighting on multiple fronts.

They will be very keen to get back into the Champions League, but are currently in the actual Champions League – facing Club Brugge in the last 16 – which must be the priority despite the obsession with qualifying often weirdly outstripping performances when competing in it.

FA Cup glory will be a distant third in the pecking order.

4) Newcastle United
Eddie Howe’s got more plates to spin than most with the Carabao Cup final to come and the need for Champions League football increasing with every goal Alexander Isak scores under the watchful eyes of European giants offering that enticing option next season.

But it’s been 70 years and with the best team in Europe standing in their way of Carabao Cup glory and given the sides who have already been knocked out, the FA Cup may weirdly be their best bet to end the drought.

READ MORE: Newcastle second-worst Champions League contender as clear qualification favourite emerges

3) Manchester United
FA Cup glory saved Erik ten Hag and further f***ed Manchester United in the long run, but we can’t see Ruben Amorim going all the way this season being anything but a positive.

Winning the Europa League will be higher up their list of priorities, with the Champions League football that brings offering more PSR wiggle room to fix his broken squad than another season of Europa League football would, but the FA Cup – which grants entry into that lesser competition – should now be seen as more important than the Premier League, where a lower mid-table finish is the best they can hope for with relegation disappointingly now very unlikely.

2) Fulham
No domestic cup final since 1975. No domestic cup win ever.

They’re also remarkably in the hunt for Champions League football, but do they really think that’s going to happen? Our guess is Fulham fans will be very, very disappointed if Marco Silva doesn’t go all out to win the FA Cup.

1) Crystal Palace
Palace have never won a domestic trophy in their 120-year history and they’re the only team in the Not Going To Be Relegated Aren’t Qualifying For Europe sweet spot. It’s time to exorcise the Wembley dancing demons.

United tried to sign another Serie A star before Dorgu but he left them red faced with surprise reaction – report

Patrick Dorgu was reportedly not Manchester United’s first-choice option to strengthen their wing-back spot.

Amorim’s biggest concern in his early days in charge of United was the lack of attacking full-backs to play in his 3-4-3 formation.

Accordingly, the Red Devils signed the highly-rated Dorgu from Leece in a deal worth £25.2 million in the winter window.

The 20-year-old was regarded as one of Serie A’s most exciting prospects, owing to his physicality, intensity, and versatility.

However, at his new club, Dorgu has had a mixed start. He has impressed with his attacking instincts and composure in possession but the young talent attracted scrutiny after receiving a red card against Ipswich Town after a reckless challenge.

Now, a report in Italy appears to be capitalising on the situation, as they claim the ex-Leece sensation wasn’t United’s preferred choice in January.

According to FCInterNews (via Sport Witness), United initially wanted to sign Federico Dimarco from Inter Milan.

The Italy international has established himself as one of Europe’s best wing-backs after impressing on the left flank under Simone Inzaghi, who also likes to employ a back-three formation.

It is claimed that United approached Inter in January to explore the possibility of signing the 27-year-old.

However, their pursuit didn’t go too far as Dimarco himself “didn’t want to start a conversation” about a transfer away from the Nerazzurri.

The Italian is thought to be very happy at Inter and allegedly also turned down a move to North London when Arsenal expressed interest in signing him last summer.

Dimarco is certainly a better player at the moment but Dorgu has shown signs of promise in his early days in Manchester and has the potential to become a top wing-back.

Featured image Marco Luzzani via Getty Images


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Vishal has covered football for over five years. Currently a writer at The Peoples Person. Big fan of ball-playing center-backs!

Fabrizio Romano spills the beans on what United chiefs are thinking about Onana ahead of crucial summer window

It has been a dismal season for Manchester United which first saw Erik ten Hag lose his job and now his replacement Ruben Amorim is also struggling at the helm since his arrival in late November.

In fact, the Portuguese tactician has lost 50 percent of his Premier League games with most of his big-name stars underperforming.

Goalkeeper Andre Onana’s form has nosedived sharply this calendar year with the Cameroonian responsible for both the goals Ipswich Town managed on Wednesday.

The United No 1 shot-stopper has committed high-profile errors in almost all games recently with Amorim fed up with his displays and reportedly looking to sign a replacement in the summer.

Onana has been really poor

As per Fabrizio Romano, United chiefs are also far from impressed with the Cameroon international’s performances but they are also being objective regarding the situation.

They feel highlighting only Onana’s mistakes is not the way to go given Rasmus Hojlund’s poor performances up front while midfielders and wingbacks are also performing below expectations.

“It’s a difficult season for many players, not only Onana. Strikers are not scoring, wing backs are suffering… it’s part of a difficult season, this is how they see this bad moment for Onana,” Romano told Givemesport.

This statement rings true given the United No 9 has not found the back of the net in 17 games now while Diogo Dalot struggles in whichever flank he is played.

Forwards, wingbacks have all struggled

Patrick Dorgu’s red card and subsequent three-match ban has added to the coach’s headache while the injuries to key stars like Lisandro Martinez, Amad and Kobbie Mainoo have derailed the season completely.

All this highlights what a tough job Amorim has on his hands and while the Premier League campaign is a lost cause, the team remains alive in the FA Cup and Europa League.

There is still a chance to qualify for Europe via these competitions and the ex-Sporting boss will be desperate to end the campaign on a high.

As for INEOS, they must try and move on as many underperformers in the summer as possible and recruit the best possible players to give Amorim a fighting chance next term.


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Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25

La Liga rising star confirms what went wrong at United in tell-all interview

Antony has revealed his true feelings on Manchester United and Real Betis in a recent interview.

Since securing his move to Betis during the winter transfer window, the Brazilian has done a great job at improving his performances, drawing praise from teammate Isco for his fine form.

Naturally, his career revival has not gone unnoticed, with Juventus reportedly preparing a bid for Antony this summer.’

While former Man United coach Benni McCarthy claimed that Antony’s struggles at Old Trafford due to unreasonable expectations of him, the Brazilian himself opened up about the truth behind his success at Betis.

“The most important thing to regain my confidence was to reconnect with myself. I found myself here and that’s why I’m very happy at Betis. Every day I feel more secure,” Antony told Kooora in an interview published by ESTADIO Deportivo.

Acknowledging the struggles that he had at United, particularly in terms of self-confidence Antony had plenty of praise for his new manager and teammates.

“Pellegrini is very important to me. Before signing with Betis, I spoke to him and he gave me a lot of confidence. His experience and track record give me energy every day to do well.”

“I love LaLiga, I always told my brother that I wanted to play here,” the winger continued. “Today I have the opportunity and I want to enjoy it, to perform at a good level. The level of LaLiga is very high and Real Betis must always fight to be at the top.”

Antony also took a moment to discuss his future, which is particularly relevant given his transfer links.

“I’m very happy here, but I don’t know what will happen in the future. I always say that I enjoy every day with the club, the city and everything that surrounds me, and I give my best for the team. It’s still too early to talk about my future,” Antony clarified.

Sadly, Antony is not the first player to perform better after leaving United, even if just on loan. Marcus Rashford has attracted interest from multiple clubs due to his performances on loan at Aston Villa, while Scott McTominay has enjoyed a bright start to life at Napoli.

Ultimately, the routine of players excelling upon leaving United is something that manager Ruben Amorim should reflect upon. He and his coaching staff will need to think of ways to get the most out of their players before they decide to depart the club, whether out of frustration, a lack of self-confidence, or some other reason.

Featured image Fran Santiago via Getty Images


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A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.