When Manchester United signed Antony from Ajax in the summer of 2022, fans would have believed that they had found the long-term solution to their right-wing woes.
The Brazilian forward arrived at the Theatre of Dreams with a big reputation, with the Premier League giants reportedly paying £86m for his signature.
Antony enjoyed a golden start to his Old Trafford tenure, scoring three goals in his first three games. Having caught the imagination of fans, the player struggled to hold on to those high standards but finished the campaign with 10 goals and five assists from 47 games.
However, the 25 year old’s performances plummeted in the following campaigns, and he dropped further down the pecking order following Ruben Amorim’s arrival in November last season. He was subsequently sent out on loan to Real Betis at the turn of the year.
A member of the infamous Bomb Squad
Antony had a decent stay at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, scoring nine goals and setting up five more from 26 games in all competitions. However, it wasn’t enough for Amorim to welcome him back to the squad at Old Trafford.
Over the summer, Antony was part of the “Bomb Squad”, comprising players who were no longer part of the Portuguese head coach’s plans. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tyrell Malacia, and Alejandro Garnacho were also part of the infamous group, who were kept away from the first team squad and had to train separately while waiting to be offloaded.
Antony always wanted to return to Betis, and finally secured his desired move before the end of the transfer window. The LaLiga side reportedly paid €25m for his signature, while United are entitled to 50% of the profits derived from his future sale.
The Brazilian left United having managed just 12 goals and five assists from 96 games in all competitions at Old Trafford.
United have already replaced Antony
Antony has already hit the ground running following his return to Real Betis. Earlier this week, the Brazilian scored a goal and set up another in the 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest in the Europa League.
Speaking after the game, as cited by ABC, Antony insisted that he wasn’t at his best because he missed pre-season over the summer.
“I’m a bit tired because I didn’t do pre-season, I didn’t train in Manchester with the team. It was difficult for me. I’m struggling a bit physically, but I’m feeling better every day,” said Antony.
“I’m happy with the assist and the goal, but sad about the draw.”
United are hardly missing the Brazilian this season following the arrival of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford over the summer, comfortably the Red Devils’ best player this season.
Featured image Fran Santiago via Getty Images
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Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.
