Antony out for ‘revenge’ as Man Utd man has ‘found’ himself away from Old Trafford

Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed loan star Antony is motivated by “revenge” after the Manchester United man spoke on his lack of playing time at his parent club.

Antony has made a fantastic start at Betis. After four games, the Brazilian winger has three goals and an assist, netting both a goal and an assist in a 3-0 victory over Real Sociedad.

His form is something of a surprise after Antony had scored just once in 14 appearances for Manchester United in the first half of the season, and it came against League One side Barnsley.

Betis manager Pellegrini has revealed Antony wants to prove something to himself: “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.”

Antony himself stated: “The most important thing is that I have found myself again. I am happy to be enjoying myself every day. Things go well when we are happy, content.

“I was playing little, but I have been working a lot. I needed to be happy with myself. The best version of being happy with myself is the most important thing. I played very little in Manchester, but I am grateful to them and also to the coach, who spoke to me.

“I have also done very well in Manchester; I won two titles, and I am very grateful. But when I say that here, I have found myself, happiness, the people are like us in Brazil. The sun helps a lot.”

DON’T MISS: The FIVE Man Utd players out of contract in 2026: Keep or sell?

Happiness key for Antony

It is unsurprising that Antony is more happy away from the stresses of Manchester United, and pressure of being a very high-value player who’s struggled to show that in his performances.

Happiness is a key theme, with his agent recently stating Antony was enjoying his football in Spain.

“This [early success] is possible because Antony is so, so happy. He’s really happy, you can feel it on and off the pitch,” he said.

“He’s been able to adapt very quickly and that’s absolutely crucial – it means we’ve been able to pick the best option possible.

“When we started thinking about and planning Antony’s temporary transfer, we knew it would be a short-term project. Our concern would be for him and his family to adapt quickly and to find a style of play that would enhance his characteristics.

It would not be a surprise to see him hope to stay with Betis after his loan spell is up given his form there so far, though that’s a move which they would have to discuss separately to the current spell.

Man Utd round-up: Rashford exit positive

Another departure on loan in January was Marcus Rashford, and his former United team-mate Raphael Varane described his exit as “positive” despite being surprised he went to a club so close to his former one, in Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, United are said to be keen on the signing of Ipswich striker Liam Delap in the summer.

They are also hopeful of landing Sporting CP wide man Geovany Quenda, per reports, which state they have verbally agreed to the deal.

And there is unrest in the United camp, with some players reportedly of the opinion that whenever they win, it is due to individual moments rather than a tactical triumph.

What’s next for Antony after loan?