Antony has shared a heartfelt message with Real Betis fans after the Manchester United player’s stunning strike against David de Gea in the Fiorentina match on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Brazilian winger left Old Trafford during the January transfer window and Real Betis signed Antony from Manchester United on a loan deal.
Antony had struggled to establish himself under Ruben Amorim and the former Ajax ace was afforded the opportunity to revive his career away from the Red Devils.
Betis have reportedly agreed to cover the large majority of Antony’s United wages and the Brazilian attacker has impressed during his superb spell in Spain.
Antony, who is on loan until the end of the 2024-25 season, has scored six times and registered four assists in 19 matches for Betis since his January move.
Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini is a big admirer of the United loanee and Antony made his presence felt once again for the Spanish side in the Conference League.
The La Liga outfit hosted Serie A side Fiorentina at the Villamarin Stadium for the first leg of their semi-final clash in the 2024-25 Conference League season.
Man Utd loanee Antony speaks out after his Real Betis impact in the Conference League semi-final vs Fiorentina
Manuel Pellegrini’s men took control of the first-leg Conference League semi-final tie after Abde Ezzalzouli opened the scoring in the sixth minute for Real Betis.
Antony started for Betis against Fiorentina on Thursday and the Brazil international saw out the full 90 minutes of the 2-1 win at the Villamarin Stadium in Spain.
The former Ajax ace made his presence felt in the 64th minute after Antony smashed a stunning strike past a helpless Manchester United legend David de Gea.
Luca Ranieri pulled one back for Fiorentina nine minutes after Antony’s wonder strike, but Betis held on to their lead and now hold the advantage for the return leg.
Posting on Instagram, United player Antony wrote to Betis fans after the match: “Mi gente!! Seguimos!”
Antony’s message said after a rough translation from Spanish to English: “My people!! Let’s keep going!”
What has Manuel Pellegrini said about Antony during the Man Utd player’s loan spell at Real Betis?
Pellegrini has spoken highly of Antony after the player’s resurgence at Betis and the former Manchester City boss has raved about the Brazilian’s potential.
Speaking to Spanish radio program El Larguero (via Goal in April), he said: “Antony is a very special case.
“When players are paid €100 million, it’s no coincidence. He must have shown important things to reach that figure. I’m not going to analyse Antony’s previous time at Manchester United.
“[Antony] came here convinced that he had to mature. He has more than enough potential.
“More than demonstrating his ability, I think he’s proving to be a practical player. Doing two or three important things in a match shows what a good player he is rather than trying to do strange things with the ball.
“He’s more focused on finishing plays well, making good crosses, looking for shots on goal, and also being very involved in the team’s collective functioning.”
Fiorentina will host Betis for the return leg of the Conference League semi-finals on 8th May at the Artemio Franchi Stadium, with a place in the final hanging in the balance.
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