Man Utd outcast ‘makes mind up’ on transfer after brutal Sir Jim Ratcliffe blast

Manchester United outcast Antony has been enjoying a new lease of life at Real Betis and the La Liga outfit are keen to keep the winger beyond the end of the season

Antony is said to be ‘desperate’ to end his torrid spell at Manchester United and make his loan deal with Real Betis permanent.

The Brazilian winger, 25, joined the Red Devils for big-money back in the summer of 2022 after impressing under Erik ten Hag at Ajax but has gone on to become the latest in a long line of players who have failed to live up to expectations at the club.

While Antony’s struggles at Old Trafford have been well documented, he has found a new lease of life with Real Betis, who took the forward on loan in January.

He has registered four goals and a further four assists in just 10 games while in Spain – and the La Liga outfit are already exploring ways to keep him beyond this season.

As per The Sun, Antony is also minded to staying in Spain. They claim that sources close to the player have indicated he is desperate to stay at Real Betis, while Real Sociedad are also now courting him.

Given Manchester United’s bleak financial situation, the club would likely entertain serious proposals for Antony, though they are all but guaranteed to make a huge loss on the £82million sum they parted with to sign the player just two-and-a-half years ago.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirmed that Antony was among the players who United would still be paying for this summer due to the structure of the deal previously agreed with Ajax.

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The Ineos chief included Antony while discussing a pool of “inherited” players, some of whom he went on to claim are “not good enough” and “overpaid”.

“If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn’t buy, we’re buying Antony, we’re buying Casemiro, we’re buying Onana, we’re buying Hojlund, we’re buying Sancho,” Ratcliffe told the BBC.

“These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out. For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea and we pay half his wages, we’re paying £17m to buy him in the summer.

“Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid. But for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time. We’ve got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future.”

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