A Manchester United star has said goodbye to “one of the most beautiful chapters of my life” as he gave his feelings on “coming home” from his current club.
United let a number of underperforming stars leave the club on loan in January. Antony and Marcus Rashford both found their feet with loans to good sides.
While Rashford was putting in good displays for Aston Villa, his fellow winger was in Spain, starring for Real Betis. From the moment he stepped foot there, Antony looked much more like the player United thought they had signed than he ever did in Manchester.
The Brazilian scored nine goals and assisted five more, with seven direct goal contributions coming in the UEFA Conference League, as he guided his side to the final, where they lost to Chelsea.
Both he and the club have suggested they’d like to stay in each other’s company, and Antony has reiterated that in his farewell message, as he’s set to return to Old Trafford after his loan.
“Today is the day to thank one of the most beautiful chapters of my life,” he said on Instagram.
“From the first step into this club, I felt something different. It was like coming home, like finding a piece of myself that I thought I had lost. With you, I started to smile again.
“Thank you for welcoming me as one of your own. Thank you for giving me back the joy of playing football. And thank you for reminding me why I fell in love with the game. My home, my people, thank you so much.”
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Whether Betis will be able to get Antony back at the club remains to be seen. It’s clear that United would be happy to let him go for the right price, but it’s been suggested the Spanish side might struggle to pay that.
There may be potential for another loan, but United will want to find the best way to generate as much money out of Antony as possible, given he cost £86million.
Meanwhile, a move to Bayer Leverkusen could be in the offing, with Erik ten Hag having just taken charge there. The Dutchman is yet again interested in Antony, after he managed him at Ajax and then signed him for United, though with little success.
He seemingly backs himself to get something out of Antony if he gets him at a third club, though, after he was a good asset for him in the Netherlands.
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