Antony has enjoyed a bright start to life at Real Betis on loan.
The Brazil international scored again for Real Betis on Thursday night in their Europa Conference League match against Gent.
The La Liga outfit won the first leg of their play-off meeting 3-0 after Antony’s opening goal.
That means the Manchester United loanee now has two goals in his opening three matches for Betis, following his move at the end of January.
It has been a dream start for the 24-year-old, with man-of-the-match performances in his first two La Liga appearances. Antony added to his tally in Europe last night as he continues to silence his critics back in England.
Antony appreciates Real Betis support
Antony couldn’t have asked for a better start at Real Betis.
After struggling at Manchester United and being labelled an expensive flop, many had thrown the towel in on Antony, but he is proving them wrong with his resurgence in Spain.
Speaking after Real Betis’ 3-0 win over Gent, Antony said (via Fabrizio Romano): “In my heart I knew that I would be very happy at Betis, I was sure about that.
“This win goes for the fans, they never stopped supporting us.”
Antony was quick to hail the support the team received from their fans on Thursday night.
There is some contrast to how Antony is now seen by Real Betis supporters and how he is viewed at United, after a series of underwhelming performances since his 2022 mega-money transfer from Ajax.
Real Betis chiefs have already spoken about keeping Antony beyond his loan deal.
Antony unhappy at Manchester United
The comments from Antony also highlight how happy he is at Real Betis.
That’s a sign of a successful loan early on but Antony still has a lot to prove between now and the remainder of the season.
Time will tell if the Brazilian winger can add consistency to his game, which is something he lacked after a bright start at Old Trafford when he scored against Arsenal and Man City as well as Barcelona.
However, Antony became unhappy at United due to a lack of opportunities after initially falling out of favour with Erik ten Hag.
Antony was also overlooked by Ruben Amorim and failed to make a single start in the Premier League this season.
| Games | Goals | Assists |
| 96 | 12 | 5 |
It is no wonder Antony was sent on loan in January.
A successful loan spell could work out in United’s favour as it could see his valuation rise in the transfer market.
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