Antony’s agent has been speaking in response to Ruben Amorim’s claims that the Brazilian lacked the physical traits to shine in England.
After joining Real Betis on loan in January, Antony looked like a different player to the one who had been struggling in England for two years.
Manchester United will have been happy to see the back of a player that Ruben Amorim clearly didn’t rate, barely playing him.
Antony has since become a star for Betis as he’s scored three and assisted two goals in his opening month at the club.
However, United are not sold on the idea he has become a top player, as Amorim explained Antony’s physicality struggles in England.
“When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there”, the United head coach explained. “If you don’t have physicality, you will struggle a lot.
“Antony is so much better now in Spain. It’s [because of] a lot of factors but I guarantee you it’s physicality.”
Antony’s agent fires back at Ruben Amorim over physicality claims
Following Amorim’s comments on Antony, his agent has now hit back, disagreeing with the United boss.
Junior Pedroso spoke with Marca this week and was quizzed over many things regarding Antony’s switch to Betis.
In this, the agent was asked about Amorim’s comments, to which he completely disagreed.
“We respect Ruben Amorim’s opinion, but we do not agree with his point of view at all. Attributing Antony’s lack of success at Manchester United to a physical factor is a superficial analysis that does not correspond to reality.
“The truth is that Antony has not been given enough confidence to play his best football. Of Amorim’s 15 games in charge of Manchester United, he has only used Antony in 9 of them, for a total of 252 minutes played. This represents only 18.6% of the total possible minutes. How can you judge an athlete in these conditions?
“Perhaps it was not his intention, but his statement devalues La Liga when Spanish football has one of the most competitive leagues in the world, with teams that constantly participate in the final stages of the Champions League and the Europa League.
“The reality is that Antony, since arriving at Real Betis, has become one of the best players in the team and in the competition itself, showing all his potential when given the right conditions to play his football. This shows that the problem was not physical, but related to the context and the way he was treated in Manchester.
“Many players who fail at United have success at other clubs, which raises the question of whether the problem really lies with the players.”
Junior Pedroso forgets Antony spent two years at Manchester United
While Pedroso is correct about players shining away from United, he is completely wrong in blaming Amorim, suggesting his client didn’t play enough to showcase his abilities.
However, the agent seems to have forgotten that United fans endured two years of Antony trying and failing to inflict himself on the league.
Antony stats for Manchester United
| Club | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Man United | 96 | 12 | 5 |
So Antony cannot blame Amorim for his United career failing, he was terrible for two years and has now found a league where it suits him and other silky attacking players who require plenty of space.
Antony’s agent would also be best served to remember that his client still has to return to United and Amorim after this loan if Betis cannot afford him.
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