Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted he’s spoken to Manchester United loanee Antony to encourage the player to work on himself and get to the current level he’s enjoying.
Estadio Deportivo cover comments from the Betis boss today from a press conference in which Antony was among the subjects discussed.
The Brazilian is on loan at Betis until the end of the season after leaving in the January transfer window on a paid loan that does not include a purchase option.
He’s hit the ground running in Spain, with three goals and one assists in four games to date and several impressive, man of the match performances.
His early displays have been a far cry from what he displayed at Manchester United, where he’s managed 12 goals and five assists in 96 games and failed to live up to the €95m paid to sign him from Ajax in 2022.
Antony has already admitted that he’s enjoying life in Spain more than he did in Manchester, with the sun one of several factors that have eased his adaptation to his temporary home.
Now Pellegrini has had his say, admitting he and the Brazilian have spoken about various aspects to ensure he could bounce back after his arrival from Manchester United last month.
“The most important thing has been his attitude and his self-criticism,” he said.
“If they paid that much money for him it is because he is a player of a great level, who for reasons unknown to me was not able to perform as expected at Manchester United.
“It is a revenge on himself to show that he is a much more mature player. I have spoken a lot with him to make him calm, without wanting to show great things, but to keep it simple.
“He is a great player who does important things for the team, and I hope he continues at that level until the end of the season because he will help us a lot.”
