Antony has kickstarted his career since moving on loan to Real Betis in the January transfer window. The Brazilian had hit something of a dead end at Manchester United and it wasn’t clear how often he’d be used, or in which position he’d play, if he continued at Old Trafford for the rest of the season.
Since making the move to Real Betis, the 25-year-old has already scored a couple of goals and added a couple of assists in La Liga. His confidence is high, and the Spanish club’s CEO claimed this week that Antony has already told him he wants to continue with Real Betis for another season.
For that to happen, Manchester United would likely have to agree to another loan given Real Betis wouldn’t want to meet the levels of a likely asking price.
Ruben Amorim was asked in recent days why he fails Antony is doing better in Spanish football than he did for the Red Devils, and the manager suggested the attacker is perhaps suited better physically to the demands of La Liga when compared to the Premier League.
As part of an interview with Marca, Antony’s agent Junior Pedroso was asked about the comments and made it clear he doesn’t agree with what Amorim said.
The Spanish newspaper quote the agent as saying: “We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim, but we completely disagree with his analysis. 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% of the total possible minutes (1,350 minutes). How can you judge an athlete without a minimum sequence to prove his worth?”
Pedroso then went further when Marca nudged him to do so: “The manager’s statement, although perhaps it was not his intention, ends up devaluing La Liga and the Spanish competitions. 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.”
