The revolution under Ruben Amorim at Manchester United might be about to kick off but with an unexpected suspect in Antony.
Antony has been decent under Ruben Amorim in his limited minutes but that’s because the bar for him right now is right at the ground.
To get Man Utd fighting for top honours again, “decent” is not good enough which is why United have been open to listening to offers for most of their squad.
A major domino falling in Antony’s case means that he might be set to become the first high-profile exit under the new Man Utd manager.
Antony’s Man Utd exit inches closer
Antony has been an unmitigated disaster as a signing since arriving from Ajax for close to £85 million, with his bad raw stats outdone by his even worse displays on the pitch.
However, amidst all this, his effort and commitment have never been questioned by Man Utd fans. Perhaps that is why he still retains a market for interest.
United have been open to offers for the Brazilian since the summer and now that his natural position is also absent in the current setup, those rumours only grew.
La Liga side Real Betis have been the team most linked to the winger and their interest could materialise into something more concrete if recent developments are any indication.
Any operation to sign Antony, even on a loan with a wage-sharing arrangement, would not be easy for a team with Betis’ finances so they needed to sell some players to proceed.
Fabrizio Romano reveals that the player they needed to sell, Assane Diao, is close to sealing a move to Serie A side Como for about £9 million.
Diao also plays on the right wing so replacing him with Antony could well be the move Betis are making here. Now they’ve got the money and flexibility to do so.
Man Utd can be patient with Antony’s transfer
The fanbase’s anger is palpable, but Antony is not one of the players who causes disruption in the dressing room so United can afford to do a deal for him on their terms.
That is because a six-month loan deal would do nothing for either party and might only serve to tank the player’s value further if he fails to hit the ground running instantly.
If that’s the deal Betis offer, United should reject it out of hand and insist on either a longer loan, a loan with an obligation to buy, or in an ideal world, a straight transfer.
The club will have to be resigned to make a loss on his exit because no other sane club would have offered £85 million for him in 2022 that United so gleefully did and Ajax accepted with both hands.
However, at a time when Sir Jim Ratcliffe is doing everything to cut costs at the club, taking hits in this venture is what he should be doing because, at the end of the day, it has the potential to bring a change to the on-pitch fortunes.
None of the moves he’s made off the pitch can claim to do that.
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