Antony follows world record transfer after Man Utd loan exit, there’s a striking resemblance

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester United have temporarily cut ties with Antony, who has signed on loan with Real Betis.

Real Betis clinched the signing of Antony on loan for the rest of the season, giving him a chance to get his career back on track.

Antony was not selected to start a single Premier League game for United over the first part of the season, and he needs to play football. Ruben Amorim was content to see him go.

United have inserted a clause into the deal which will enforce a financial penalty for Betis if he does play a fixed number of minutes, while the Spanish side are paying a large percentage of Antony’s wages.

Antony follows Denilson

Antony follows in the footsteps of a player of kindred spirits with his move to Real Betis.

Back in 1998 Brazilian winger Denilson completed a world record move to the La Liga side, signing from Sao Paulo.

Antony began his career with Sao Paulo before signing with Ajax, eventually signing a staggering £85 million deal with Manchester United.

Denilson was touted as the next great Brazilian player of his generation. It didn’t quite work out that way.

His move to Betis was as good as it got for Denilson. The team were relegated from La Liga within two years and he spent part of his spell there playing in Spain’s second tier.

While he played more than 60 times for Brazil, Denilson was overshadowed by the greats of his generation, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, always seen as an understudy.

Where he was also notorious was his skilful play – that often failed to materialise into goals or assists.

Denilson would score only 12 times in 169 La Liga games for Real Betis.

It’s a similar issue Antony has faced. Upon signing from Ajax he was touted as a skilful player, but has failed to develop his trickery and nimble footwork into becoming a player capable of influencing games on a regular basis in the Premier League.

Antony skill must be allowed to thrive

There was a moment early into Antony’s Manchester United career in a Europa League game where he showcased his 360 spin move, and was torn apart for it.

Paul Scholes blasted Antony for the move as did Robbie Savage, while Antony defiantly pledged not to stop – even receiving backing from Neymar.

But he did stop. The skill, trickery and quick footwork appeared to be beaten out of Antony over the past 12 months.

He went from being a creative player allowed to flourish at Ajax, to playing within himself at Manchester United, scared to express himself.

While there’s clear debate over whether his 360 move is ever effectual enough to use in a game, is not really the point. It’s about expression and entertainment, and once Antony lost this, he lost part of his identity.

His spell at Betis is about building himself back up, and while Denilson is a quite appropriate role model to follow, it could be an inspiring one, with the winger still held in high regard for his career accomplishments as a whole, and long service with Real Betis across eight seasons.