Manchester United winger Antony has taken to loan life at Real Betis like a duck to water, and his derby day passion helped them to a scintillating win over local rivals Sevilla.
Such is the impact he has made at his temporary employers, teammate Isco jokingly outlined the lengths the club should go to to keep the Brazilian at the Villamarin Stadium a little while longer.
Speaking to DAZN after the 2-1 triumph, in which Antony played a key part, the former Real Madrid man said: “We have to do one of those crowdfunding campaigns to see if we can bring him in for at least one more year.”
Many United fans may be prepared to donate some spare change to keep Antony away from Old Trafford, a stage which was clearly too big for him.
But finances aside it is nice to see the player blossoming and performing well in an environment which seems much more suited to him.
Isco revealed that, perhaps unsurprisingly, there were some expectations about the much-maligned 25-year-old when he arrived, but that he has proven the doubters wrong.
He said: “I’m happy to enjoy Antony. The truth is that he has surprised us all with the humility with which he arrived, with his desire to help, to contribute. The truth is that we are very happy.
“We have noticed a change since he arrived, and we are very happy for him, for the team, and eager to continue doing things well.”
Antony, who further endeared himself to Betis fans after the win by waving a huge flag while hoisted aloft Adrian’s shoulders, has done things better in Spain than he managed in England.
The Brazilian has notched four goals and four assists in 12 matches, compared to his 12 goals and five assists in 96 for United.
Should Isco’s crowdfunder fail to materialise, it remains to be seen how Betis will approach the winger’s situation at the end of the season.
His loan deal does not include an option to buy, and come the summer the reality of United having spent more than £80m on the player will come back to bite them.
Antony is on big wages and they may also prove a stumbling block for Betis – or any other club attracted by his eye-catching performances in La Liga.
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.
