United flop confirms Liverpool wanted to sign him before Old Trafford switch

Former Manchester United forward Antony was one of the club’s most controversial signings in recent years, but he could have been playing for Liverpool had circumstances been different. The Red Devils were looking for a fresh start in the summer of 2022 when they turned to the Brazilian. The English giants were coming off a rocky campaign, with former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer losing his job in the middle of the season. The Norwegian’s reign promised so much, but failed to deliver trophies, prompting United to ultimately part ways with him in November 2021. Ralf Rangnick was initially brought to the Theatre of Dreams to steady the ship, before the Red Devils handed the keys of the first team to Erik ten Hag in the summer of 2022. The Dutchman had earned a strong reputation during his stint with Ajax and was identified as the ideal candidate to revive the fortunes of the fallen Premier League giants. Ten Hag raided his former club that summer to sign Lisandro Martinez to strengthen the backline. With United also looking to upgrade their attack, the Dutchman opted to bring Antony to Old Trafford as well. One of United’s most disappointing signings in last decade Antony registered 12 goals and 10 assists in 33 appearances across all competitions for Ajax in the 2021/22 campaign, helping them win the Eredivisie. That prompted United to pay £82 million for the Brazilian’s signature, making him the club’s second-most expensive signing after Paul Pogba. Unfortunately for Antony, his spell at the Theatre of Dreams was hardly fruitful. The 26 year old registered just eight goals and three assists in 44 games in his debut campaign, hardly justifying his exorbitant price tag. Things went from bad to worse in his second season, when he only found the back of the net on three occasions in 38 appearances. Following Ten Hag’s departure and the arrival of Ruben Amorim in November 2024, the Brazilian briefly switched to a wing-back role. However, he failed to impress the Portuguese head coach and was subsequently offloaded to Real Betis on loan in the middle of the season. Antony was a hit at the Estadio Benito Villamarin and joined the LaLiga club permanently last summer. The Brazilian ended his Old Trafford tenure with just 12 goals and five assists in 96 appearances across all competitions. While his career with United never took off, the player has now revealed that he could have been playing on the Merseyside instead. Antony had chance to join Liverpool Speaking on Podpah, Antony said that several clubs, including Liverpool, were interested in signing him during his time at Ajax. He said: “There were, man, there were from England, too.” “I think it’s worth mentioning at least one right; there was Liverpool at the time, which was Klopp’s team. Yeah, I think that is worth mentioning.” Antony registered 14 goals and 10 assists in 46 appearances for Real Betis in the recently concluded season. Antony Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesStartsGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played LaLiga323086612,460′ UEFA Europa League109632-788′ Copa del Rey43-1–250′ Total46421410813,498′ Source: Transfermarkt. Final Thoughts United’s decision to sign Antony was one of the most glaring transfer errors in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Thankfully, the Red Devils have shown a lot more planning in the transfer market in the past two summers, and fans will hope that trend continues this year. Featured image Gabriele Maltinti via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social 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. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.