Antony breaks silence over 'difficult' Man Utd transfer

Suraj Radia

6 Feb 2025 20:50 GMT
3 min read

Antony, Real Betis — © IMAGO/FootballTransfers

Antony has opened up on his decision to leave Manchester United last month, admitting he had ‘difficult times’ during his time with the club.

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The Brazilian joined La Liga side Real Betis on loan after falling out of favour at Old Trafford, although there is no option to make the move permanent.

However, the winger revealed he is open to extending his stay with the La Liga side, with the winger claiming his goal was simply to ‘be happy’ and find ‘the best version’ of himself again.

"I had other offers, but when Betis appeared I felt a certainty in my heart that made me stay calm. I am happy here and I want to achieve many goals,” he said.

“I want to find my best version and the first step is to be happy. Everything here is incredible, my family and I are happy. Now it is time to work to be in my best version and help the club in everything.

“Stay at Betis? We have to respect the process. I went through difficult times. If I have to stay longer, I would have to talk to the president and everything. For now I want to play and score goals and give assists. I have to help the team, later we can talk about that.”

© IMAGO - Antony struggled to find form at Man Utd.

Antony unlikely to have future at Man Utd

Having arrived at United in 2022 as one of the club’s most expensive signings ever, Antony failed to live up to expectations and often endured ridicule for his performances.

The 24-year-old had an encouraging debut season after his €95 million move in 2022, grabbing four goals and two assists in 25 Premier League appearances.

However, he was only able to provide one more goal and assist over the last 18 months, making just 15 Premier League starts in the process.

United will continue to consider offers for Antony when his loan finishes, with the club aware they will likely have to make a significant loss on the forward.

However, there is hope that he can recapture some of his best form with Betis, having won the player of the match award on his debut for the club in a 2-2 draw with Athletic Bilbao.