Antony has flourished since leaving Manchester United and joining Real Betis on loan for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, and now the Brazilian’s agent has lashed out at Ruben Amorim.
In just over a month of being at Real Betis, Antony has already played more than triple the amount of league minutes he managed at Manchester United in the half-season prior and, despite receiving a red card against Getafe, the winger has scored twice and assisted on two more occasions.
That form saw Ruben Amorim justify his decision to let Antony leave while speaking to TNT Sports earlier this month, stating that: “When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there. 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.”
Antony’s agent, Junior Pedroso, has defended his client’s ability, however, arguing that it’s because Amorim didn’t provide the 25-year-old with enough confidence to thrive at Old Trafford.
“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 per cent of the total possible minutes (1,350 minutes).
“How can you judge an athlete without a minimum amount of time to prove his worth?”
Pedroso continued, suggesting that the problem lies with Manchester United in why players continue to struggle there, while also highlighting that La Liga is still a competitive league and shouldn’t be underestimated.
The manager’s statement, although perhaps it was not his intention, ends up devaluing La Liga and the Spanish competitions,” he said. “Spanish football has one of the most competitive leagues in the world, with top-level teams that constantly compete in the final stages of the Champions League and the Europa League.
“The reality is that Antony, since he arrived at Real Betis, has become one of the best players in the team and in the competition itself, demonstrating his full potential when given the right conditions to develop his game.
“This highlights that the problem was not the physicality, but the context and the way he was managed in Manchester. Many players who do not prosper at United find success at other clubs, which leads us to wonder if the problem really lies with the players.”
