“I can’t still believe they loaned out quality player like that to keep the likes of Zirkzee and Hojlund…This must be the craziest mistake made in football history”: Manchester United’s legend Rio Ferdinand impressed by Manchester United’s player on loan, urged the club to recall him
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim and his predecessor Erik ten Hag have been blamed for Antony’s struggles at the Reds.
The Brazilian joined Real Betis on loan in January after struggling at Old Trafford under Amorim and Ten Hag. Since his transfer from Ajax to Manchester in August 2022, for a hefty €100million (£85.5m), Antony has score just 12 goals for United.
And the winger has already surpassed his season’s goal tally for the Reds at Betis. The 25-year-old only managed to find the back of the net once for United in the 2024/2025 season but has already scored three goals in just six games for the La Liga team, although he was sent off on Sunday against Getafe.
Betis legend Gabino Rodriguez has now offered his view that Antony is thriving away from M16 due to the failings at United under Amorim and Ten Hag.
“It is obviously a bit too soon for a full assessment, but this footballer has class, no doubt about it,” he told The Sun. “Technically he is a very gifted player.
“The initial impression is he’s landed on his feet at Betis. He scored in his first game, I can see hunger in him and the fans are very happy.
“Personally I have no doubts that Antony will adapt really well to Pellegrini’s system because the manager likes to play attacking football. Betis continuously go down the wings and Antony is the type of player who suits this coach well. Under another one he would struggle in all aspects, and that’s what happened at United. For me, Antony’s problem wasn’t him, but a coaching one.”
“Watching how he has developed in the few matches he’s played so far, I think he’s one for a very distinct kind of coach – and the clearest and closest example is Pellegrini. There are others who take a more defensive approach and focus more on running and marking or covering. They are the ones who tend to have a more direct style and use long balls. Players like Antony completely disappear in those sort of matches.
“I’m told Antony has been well-received in the team and didn’t walk in with an air of superiority just because he came from United. He’s been quite the opposite, very humble, with a real eagerness to work. Things like that are highly valued at Betis. Antony just needed the type of coach who could spark him – and under Erik ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim, everything surrounding United looked like a funeral.”
