Antony warned what will immediately happen if he returns to Man Utd this summer
Antony has starred on loan at Real Betis having endured a difficult time at Manchester United, but even his performances in La Liga may not be enough to help him resurrect his Red Devils career
Antony has been told warned he will slip back into the same old rut if he returns to Manchester United this summer, despite impressing on loan at Real Betis. The Brazilian struggled to live up to his £86million price tag after joining United from Ajax back in 2022. He started just twice under Ruben Amorim following the 39-year-old's appointment as Red Devils boss in November.
Betis handed him a lifeline in the January transfer window by agreeing a deal to take him on loan for the rest of the season. He has since starred for the La Liga side, scoring four goals and notching four assists in 12 matches.
But no option to buy clause was included in the deal that took the 25-year-old to the Estadio Benito Villamarín. Despite that former United assistant coach Rene Meulensteen believes the winger must push through an exit from Old Trafford in the summer.
"Antony has no future at Manchester United. If I was him, I’d stay at Real Betis, without a doubt. He’s never really lived up to the expectations or the price tag at United," Meulensteen told AOS.
"But he’s found his feet in Spain. He seems to be a lot happier playing football and in life generally at Betis – which is the most important thing.
"If he returned to Manchester, he’d fall straight back into the rut he was in before he left, which wouldn’t be good for anybody. I can’t see him returning under any circumstance; it’s probably best for all parties that he joins Betis on a permanent deal."
Following Sunday's win over bitter rivals Sevilla, Antony also expressed his happiness with life at Betis. He told DAZN: "I feel happier and more content when I found myself, and I found myself here.
"I'm very grateful for everyone's affection, for the players. I'm very happy here, my focus is on Betis, I'm enjoying the city, the club, and everything every day, and I'm very happy. The last time I experienced this was in Brazil when I was playing for Sao Paulo.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Ruben Amorim bring Antony back into the fold? Comment below.
"I was talking to my family yesterday and today, and I was in my room, and the fans were incredible at the hotel, at training, and everything, and that makes us want to play even more. I'm very happy with today's performance and that we got the three points."
Veteran Betis star Isco recently joked that Betis may need to crowdfund to be able to bring Antony back permanently. Their record signing remains the £22m spent on Brazilian winger Denilson in 1998 and a similar fee would still represent a huge loss to United.
"We have to crowdfund so he can stay at least another year," Isco recently told DAZN. "He has surprised us all with his humility and with his willingness to help and add. We have noticed a change since he arrived. We are happy for him and for the team."
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.