Antony Ready To Leave Old Trafford On Loan

Brazilian winger Antony is ready to leave Manchester United on loan in this transfer window and join La Liga side Real Betis for the remainder of the season. The £86m flop has struggled since arriving to the Premier League in August 2022 and this offers him an escape route away from his Red Devil nightmare. Other clubs have enquired about signing Antony but it looks as if Real Betis are in the best position to do so.

Real Betis

The deal comes with one condition that Real Betis have been really strong on. Manchester United will have to foot most of Antony’s wages, as the 24-year-old is on £200,000 per week and the La Liga club cannot afford that. This makes him the fifth highest earner at the club and means he earns more than double the likes of Rasmus Hojlund and Diogo Dalot.

Real Betis does not shy away from signing former Premier League players with the likes of Hector Bellerin, Giovani Lo Celso and Pablo Fornales currently at the club. Betis currently sit in 11th in La Liga but could fall to 12th should Las Palmas beat Real Madrid. This season has shown that they lack attacking talent and they see Antony as the solution to that problem.

🚨⚪️🟢 Real Betis are closing in on Antony deal with Man United!

Final details of the agreement being discussed, loan move until June with NO option clause currently included.

Antony has opened doors to the move, Man United will also cover part of the salary. pic.twitter.com/UHJOlo3KMp

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 19, 2025

They have a UEFA Europa Conference League playoff match against Gent next month that is crucial to the success of their season, so recruiting sensibly this month is vital for the outcome of that game. They have looked at wingers at other La Liga clubs, but a big name like Antony is what they tend to do. They still have Isco on their books, despite a broken leg keeping him out of action for most of this season.

Antony at Manchester United

Since his first three matches at Old Trafford, Antony’s career has been on a downward spiral. He joined from Ajax in 2022, reuniting with Erik ten Hag, as the Dutchman had also just joined from the Eredivisie club. He scored on his debut against Arsenal and then in his next two Premier League matches against Manchester City, in that memorable 6-3 defeat, and against Everton.

He has yet to prove his worth at £86m and he has been involved less and less in the first team season on season. This campaign he has only played seven Premier League games and hasn’t scored or assisted, reviving the ‘007’ meme that has haunted a number of Premier League flops since Jadon Sancho joined United in 2021. The meme revolves around a player not managing to register an attacking output in their first seven games.

The original 007. Streets will never forget. pic.twitter.com/gZMvzwAY1b

— WelBeast (@WelBeast) March 4, 2023

In recent weeks, it looks as if Amad Diallo has moved Antony even further down the pecking order at United, especially considering their drastically different performances against Southampton in midweek. Antony missed a close range effort to draw his side level before Diallo scored a quickfire hattrick to save United the embarrassment of losing to a side in 20th. With new man Ruben Amorim looking to revitalise his squad, Antony looks like he will be the first to be pushed out.