Latest Manchester United news and rumours as Antony continues to shine while on loan in La Liga with Real Betis
Antony has the support of his Manchester United teammates as he continues to thrive on loan at Real Betis.
The Brazilian winger joined United from Dutch side Ajax for a staggering £86m in the summer of 2022. However, the move hasn’t proven to be particularly fruitful, and he joined La Liga side Real Betis on loan during the recent January transfer window.
Despite only being with the Spanish club for a few months, Antony has been a standout performer, recording an impressive eight goals and five assists in 21 appearances across all competitions.
His form has helped Betis qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League final later this month – having scored in the first leg of the semi-final against Fiorentina, before scoring and assisting in the second leg this week.
Betis will now prepare to face Premier League side Chelsea in the final, which takes place on Wednesday, 28 May at the Stadion Miejski in Wroclaw, Poland.
Following the victory in Italy on Thursday night, Antony shared a post on Instagram with the caption “BETIS”, followed by a green and white heart emoji. Several of his current, former, and international teammates showed their support by liking the post.
Amad Diallo, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot, Andre Onana and Joshua Zirkzee were among the United stars to give their approval, while Brazilian teammate Matheus Cunha, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, also showed his support.
Antony’s long-term future at United remains unclear, but earlier this week, Real Betis chief executive Ramon Alarcon confirmed the Spanish club would like to extend his loan spell by a further year.
“Obviously, if someone comes with a very high offer, he’s a great player for Manchester [United], and they have the final say,” Alarcon told El Desmarque. “But we’ve always worked with respect.
“Every week, Manu Fajardo, who has done a spectacular job, has sent them the report from the player’s week of training, the tactical and physical report from the player’s match, and they’ve seen that we’ve taken very good care of their asset.
“We also have to value the player’s commitment, as he has 20 days left with the team and is like one of the team members. We’ll see when summer arrives if there’s an option to bring him in for another year.
“If not, we’ll have to look for someone else, because the important thing is really to be a team player. If it’s not Antony, it will be someone else, but we have to keep competing.”
However, there’s an acceptance that the final decision lies with United’s hierarchy, and bringing Antony back to the Villamarín Stadium could be difficult if significant offers arrive.
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