Manchester United take on Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon but one rather expensive player may not be involved.
Manchester United are in action at Old Trafford once again as Ruben Amorim seeks another positive result.
United battled to results at Liverpool and Arsenal before a somewhat unconvincing 3-1 win at Southampton on Thursday.
Brighton and Hove Albion now visit Old Trafford and United need to try and build some momentum at home.
Fans are still hopeful of United finding some signings before the January transfer deadline, but that will require outgoings.
Napoli’s Alejandro Garnacho bid has failed, Marcus Rashford has interest from AC Milan and Casemiro has been linked towards Saudi Arabia.
Manchester United loan exit moves closer
Those potential deals could bring in other big fees or big wages, but United will be keen to move any unwanted or fringe player on.
That includes Antony with the Brazilian seemingly nearing a move away.
Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth claims that Real Betis are now hopeful of securing a loan deal for Antony.
Betis showed an interest in Antony back in August and now appear to be closing in on a deal.
Sheth claims that the deal would be a straight loan deal with no purchase option, with the prospect of a long-term future at United raised.
The Athletic add that Amorim would want to land a replacement if Antony does move on.
That could mean another player to feature in the front three positions, or possibly a more natural wing back.
Amorim doesn’t play with natural wingers and Antony needs to take this opportunity in Spain and really run with it.
Antony at Manchester United by the numbers
Sheth may suggest that a long-term future at United is possible but we just can’t see Antony playing a key role under Amorim in the future.
United agree to pay £85million for Antony in 2022, striking a rather expensive reunion with boss Erik ten Hag.
Some of the add-on involved may not have been met given Antony’s struggles but the number don’t look good based on the whole fee.
| Antony at Manchester United | |
| Appearances | 95 |
| Goals | 12 |
| Assists | 5 |
| Fee per goal | £7.1million |
| Fee per assist | £17million |
That isn’t factoring in wages either with Antony sadly going down as one of United’s missing most expensive misses in the transfer market.
Antony will hopefully go and impress in Spain, potentially garnering interest in a permanent move come the summer transfer window.
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