Antony breaks silence on Man United exit with five-word verdict on Real Betis loan

The Brazil international is on the verge of completing his mid-season switch to Manuel Pellegrini's team, who will fork out a chunk of his wages while the Red Devils cover the other portion.

Antony was recently spotted touching down in Spain as he prepares to sign his Betis contract, and the former Ajax man appeared in good spirits as he posed for photographs.

As quoted by journalist Fabrizio Romano, Antony replied "I'm so happy, I'm ready" when asked for his feelings about joining Real Betis, who are not believed to have an option or obligation to make his stay permanent.

As a result, Antony will be heading back to Old Trafford - where his contract expires in 2027 - once the season is done and dusted, although Man United will likely try to sever ties for good before the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

Antony's pitiful Man United record assessed

A fundamental part of Erik ten Hag's Ajax squad before touching down in Manchester for a mammoth £85m, Antony made an immediate impact at the Theatre of Dreams, memorably scoring in a 3-1 home win over Arsenal in September 2022.

However, that fine curled finish was not a precursor for future success for Antony, who has since added just 16 more goal contributions in 95 matches, albeit while making a good chunk of his appearances from the bench.

This season, the 24-year-old has featured just three times from the first whistle, turning out a further 11 times as a substitute and only scoring one goal against Barnsley in the EFL Cup.

Antony has just 135 Premier League minutes to his name from eight substitute outings in the 2024-25 campaign, and as the winger's best work often comes on the touchline, he is not a natural fit for Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 system.

The former Ajax man had dabbled in wing-back duties during the early stages of Amorim's reign, but his future does not lie in that position, where Diogo Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo can also provide cover.

Will Antony exit precede more Man United outgoings?

Antony should not be the only high-profile name out of the Man United exit door this month, especially after the club's open letter to supporters admitting that they are running the risk of breaching Profit and Sustainability rules.

One way to avoid falling foul of the Premier League's PSR regulations would be to sell home-grown talents such as Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, the former of whom is being tipped to make an astonishing move to Chelsea.

At the same time, Man United are believed to be considering an audacious swoop for Blues attacker Christopher Nkunku, although it is unclear if the Frenchman would be part of the same or a separate transaction.

In Rashford's case, the forward's exit avenues appear to be dwindling on account of his staggering £315,000-a-week wages, and he is now only said to have one option for a January loan move.

Casemiro's situation is also an interesting one to watch, as Amorim recently made a telling admission over the former Real Madrid man's prospects of more game time at Old Trafford.

Written by

Ben Knapton