- Antony has four goals and four assists in 11 games since joining Real Betis
- Since arriving for £86m from Ajax he has struggled to impress at Man United
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Antony has offered up a fresh hint over his future after thriving on loan at Real Betis following his January move.
The Brazilian forward’s move to Manchester United back in 2022 has been far from successful after the club splashed out £86million to bring him to Old Trafford from Ajax.
Despite garnering plenty of attention and promise after his emergence at the Dutch giants, he struggled to adapt to the Premier League, with current boss Ruben Amorim attributing this to physicality.
During his two-and-a-half years at United so far he has managed only 12 goals and five assists in 96 games across all competitions in a disappointing return.
Yet he has come alive in southern Spain since joining Betis, already managing almost than half the goal contributions he accrued in a United shirt.
The player, though, has insisted that he will always be grateful to the club for showing faith in him and bringing him to the Premier League, but hinted that his mind is firmly set on Real Betis.
Antony has thrived since joining Real Betis on loan during the January transfer window
His time at Manchester United has however been characterised by underwhelming displays
Speaking to DAZN, the Brazilian said: ‘If they pay that kind of money for you, it’s because you have talent and quality. Wherever I go, I’ll always speak highly of United.
‘I’m very grateful to the club and to Erik ten Hag for what we experienced together, for the titles, and for everything I’ve learned. I had difficult times there, but also very good ones. I think it prepared me to be here today, enjoying myself. My mind is here, and I’m very happy.’
He added: ‘I found myself, I needed to find myself and be happy. I needed my family to be happy too. Every day that goes by I see that it was the best decision I could have made. I’m enjoying the city, the club and everything.
‘It reminds me a lot of Brazil because of the sun, the food, the people are also very happy. All of that is important for someone like me who is used to it.’
While he had emerged as one of the most exciting attacking talents while at Ajax, things just never seemed to get off the ground at United.
He frequently came in for criticism from pundits and fans alike before moving out on loan, though it was evidently the right decision to help him to regain some confidence.
But just why it hadn’t worked out for him at United so far is a point of debate, though Amorim has his own theories.
‘When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there,’ he said earlier this season.
Ruben Amorim had suggested that his malaise was down to the physicality of English football
‘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.’
Perhaps unsurprisingly, though, the player’s agent Junior Pedroso was clearly not inclined to agree with that assessment.
He said: ‘We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim but we completely disagree with his analysis.
‘To attribute Antony’s lack of success at United solely to physicality is a very superficial argument and does not reflect reality.’