Antony confirms BIZARRE reason behind Man Utd woes

Cameron Smith

16 Mar 2025 20:30 GMT
4 min read

Manchester United flop Antony has blamed the weather as a factor behind his struggles at Old Trafford.

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The 25-year-old joined Man Utd for a whopping €95 million from Ajax back in 2022, but he has endured a torrid spell with the Red Devils and he was sent out on loan to Real Betis in January.

Despite his woes at Old Trafford, Antony has enjoyed a fantastic start to life in Spain, registering four goals and four assists in 11 appearances since his move to Real Betis.

Speaking on Spanish TV, Antony admitted that the climate in Seville is a key reason why he has rediscovered his best form since leaving Man Utd.

“The city has also played a lot, which is better [than Manchester] and good here,” the Brazilian said (via GOAL). “I am very happy here with it. And the sun here helps a lot.

“You’re every day at noon, awake, listening to yourself, I go to sleep smiling and that’s the most important thing for me.”

© IMAGO - Antony is on loan at Real Betis

Ruben Amorim on Antony

Although Antony believes a difference in climate is the reason behind his contrasting form at Real Betis and Man Utd, Ruben Amorim disagrees.

“When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there” Amorim recently told Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand in an interview with TNT Sports.

“If you don’t have physicality, you will struggle a lot. Antony is so much better now in Spain. It’s [because of] a lot of factors but I guarantee you it’s physicality.”

However, Antony’s agent Junior Pedroso quickly denied that his client’s struggles at Man Utd were due to a lack of physicality.

Current ETV

Antony

M, AM (R)

Real Betis

Antony

M, AM (R)

Real Betis

ETV Range

€20.4M - €24.9M

“We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim, but we completely disagree with his analysis,” Pedroso told Marca.

“To attribute Antony's lack of success at Manchester United solely to the question of physicality is a very superficial argument and does not reflect reality.

“The truth is that Antony has not had enough prominence or the confidence necessary to play his best football. Of the 15 games in which Amorim managed Manchester United, he only used Antony in nine, with a total of 252 minutes played.

“This represents only 18.6% of the total possible minutes. How can you judge an athlete without a minimum sequence to prove his worth?”