The decision to send the player off on loan looks like it will bear positive fruit for a joy-starved club
When Manchester United sanctioned a mid-season loan move for Antony, it was accompanied by cathartic sighs. The pain and frustration had become unbearable. Something, anything, needed to happen. He had just needed to get out.
The winger had become a lightning rod for criticism at Old Trafford – his £85 million price tag mocked, his performances brutally dissected, and his future at the club looking bleak and dismal. Fast forward five months, and the Brazilian is not only enjoying a career resurgence at Real Betis but might also be quietly laying the groundwork for United to salvage a tricky situation.
In Seville, Antony seems to have found something he never came close to grasping in Manchester. His goal against Valencia on Friday – a curled finish worthy of the highlight reels – was his ninth in just 25 appearances for Betis across La Liga and the Conference League. Add five assists to that tally and the impact is undeniable. The prince of Seville, he has been called.
More than just numbers, though, it’s the sense of purpose in his play that stands out. He’s faster in transition, sharper in tight spaces, and playing with a confidence that had all but evaporated in the Premier League.
There’s more statistical weight in Betis’ favour too. Since Antony arrived, the club have amassed 35 points in La Liga – only Barcelona, Real Madrid and Villarreal have picked up more in the same span. A team that had been drifting through the season has been reenergised and climbed six places up the table to secure European football, and the Brazilian is central to that revival. If Betis were to go all the way in the Conference League – with a final against Chelsea to be played on 28 May – Antony’s status in the club’s folklore would be cemented. For a team with just two major trophies this century, European glory would be seismic.
Of course, this narrative has led many fans and pundits to say that Antony’s performances in Spain are an indictment of Manchester United as a football club. That may or may not be the case. But sending him out on loan at a time when his value had cratered and his confidence was in tatters now looks like shrewd business for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his cost-saving minions. Antony is now much more valuable on the market than he was when he left on loan in January.
And clubs are taking notice. For instance, reports in Spain suggest that Atletico Madrid are tracking him closely. With INEOS looking to streamline United’s wage bill and generate revenue from outgoings, Antony’s revival couldn’t be better timed. If multiple suitors emerge for the player – and there’s reason to believe they will – United may find themselves in the position of collecting a respectable fee for a player that was almost seen as close to £100 million down the drain.
Betis, of course, want to keep the player too, but the club would likely be unable to afford it. They paid only €2 million to get him in January in the first place, and United are still covering most of his wages.
Antony’s teammates at Betis – most notably Isco – have humorously put out ideas to retain him at the club: “Antonio of Triana, we’re going to kidnap you”, or “We’ll have to do one of those crowdfunding things.”
