Manchester United loanee Antony was reduced to tears as he revealed that at times during his troubled spell at Old Trafford, he would go for days without eating and even found it hard to play with his son.
Antony struggled to make an impact at United following his £82million move from Ajax in the summer of 2023.
He managed just 17 goal contributions in 96 appearances for the Red Devils and eventually lost his place in the team under Erik ten Hag. Ruben Amorim’s arrival didn’t revive Antony’s United career, as he also failed to break into the Portuguese coach’s plans.
The Brazilian left United in January and sealed a loan move to Real Betis, where he has looked like a player reborn.
Antony has delivered an impressive return for Betis, scoring nine goals and providing five assists across La Liga and the Europa Conference League, where they are set to face Chelsea in the upcoming final.
Unsurprisingly, Betis want to make his stay a permanent one and the winger is also believed to be keen on continuing at Estadio Benito Villamarín.
Antony has previously spoken candidly about the challenges he faced at United, and in a new interview with TNT Sports Brazil, he shed further light on just how difficult the situation had become.
Fighting back tears, he explained that his struggles on the pitch had begun to take a toll on his personal life as well.
“[Coming to Betis] changed a lot because I needed to find myself, because of everything I went through in my personal life.”
“As I said, I wanted to do things, but they didn’t seem to work out because I wasn’t happy, I didn’t feel that desire to play football, and I needed to find myself and be happy again because playing football was always something I loved.”
“I went through difficult times [at Manchester United] when I no longer felt that pleasure. I even always told my brother, I told him that I couldn’t take it anymore.”
The 25-year-old continued, “‘[My brother] told me to hold on a little longer, that things were going to change . It even made me emotional, because they were very hard days for me.”
“Only I know what it was like to be there at home, not having the strength to even play with my son, going days without eating, staying locked in my room. So, for me it was very complicated, but thank God, with the help of my family and mainly with the help of God, I managed to get ahead and today I am very happy here.”
In addition to Betis, the likes of Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad and Juventus are also thought to be eyeing Antony.
Featured image Fran Santiago via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
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!
