Antony has dropped a major hint regarding his future at Manchester United, with the attacker suggesting that he will not be returning to the 20-time English champions at the end of the campaign.
The Brazil international made the move to Real Betis on loan in January, and he has excelled for the La Liga club, scoring four goals and registering four assists in 11 appearances for the Seville outfit.
As it stands, Antony is due to return to Man United this summer, as the Green and Whites do not have the option to purchase him.
However, the 25-year-old has seemingly confirmed that he does not intend to return to Manchester, with the forward much happier with the lifestyle available to him and his family in Spain.
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Antony has impressed since joining Real Betis on loan
“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,” Antony told DAZN.
“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. 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.”
Antony made the move to Man United from Ajax in 2022, and he has made 96 appearances for the 20-time English champions, scoring 12 goals and registering five assists in the process.
The forward also recently revealed that he much prefers living in Seville than Manchester.
“The city has also played a lot, which is better [than Manchester] and good here,” Antony told Spanish TV.
“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.”
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Antony does not appear to be in Amorim’s plans
Man United head coach Ruben Amorim recently claimed that Antony lacks the physicality to be a star in the Premier League.
“When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there. If you don’t have physicality, you will struggle a lot,” Amorim told TNT Sports. “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 then hit back at those claims, telling Marca: “We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim, but we completely disagree with his analysis [of the winger]. 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.”
It is therefore incredibly difficult to imagine Antony continuing at Man United, but his form has put the English club in a strong position when it comes to negotiating a transfer fee, with the forward demonstrating that he can be extremely influential in Spanish football.
