Manchester United loanee Antony posted an emotionally charged message in the aftermath of his superb debut for La Liga outfit Real Betis on Sunday.
Antony made his Old Trafford exit last month and completed a loan move to Real Betis for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.
The 24-year-old Brazilian winger has struggled to make a real name for himself at Manchester United after his initial £82m move from Ajax in 2022.
Antony had made 14 appearances for the Red Devils in the current season and the former Ajax star had only managed to score once for his side.
The United player had fallen down the pecking order behind Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho and was struggling for regular first-team minutes.
Antony had been preferred by former United manager Erik ten Hag at times, having worked under the 55-year-old Dutchman at Ajax.
However, Erik ten Hag’s sacking last October and Ruben Amorim’s arrival from Sporting CP last November appeared to seal Antony’s fate at United.
Antony’s message after Real Betis debut
Antony was handed his Real Betis debut under Manuel Pellegrini in the 2-2 La Liga draw against Athletic Club at the Benito Villamarin on the weekend.
The Manchester United player played a key part in Real Betis’ opener on Sunday after he fired a powerful low-range shot at Unai Simon.
Unai Simon could only parry the ball into the path of Isco, who tapped in a close-range strike to put Betis 1-0 up in the 15th minute.
Antony played 72 minutes on his debut for the Spanish side before Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini pulled him off and replaced him with Abde Ezzalzouli.
The Brazil international took to Instagram after the match and was thrilled with his “important debut” for Betis after his side played out a 2-2 draw.
Posting for his followers, Antony wrote: “Important debut! Happy to be with my teammates on the field and be able to play for this fan!”
Pellegrini reacts to Antony’s debut
Speaking after the Betis match, Manuel Pellegrini was happy with what he saw from Antony on the pitch and praised the United loanee’s overall performance.
“Well, I think it was a very positive debut. He’s a quality player,” he said, as per the Manchester Evening News.
“I was talking to him just before the game. I think a good player doesn’t have to be constantly showing off his skills with the ball.
“He has to play a good game, make few mistakes and do two or three important things: a goal, a good pass, a good cross.
“I think he was very involved today, especially with the second goal. He had just arrived a couple of days before and I think he’s going to contribute a lot to us.”
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