Antony opens up on Man Utd ‘regrets’ question after Real Betis transfer

Antony has spoken out on his time at Manchester United after swapping Old Trafford for Real Betis in the summer

Antony has no regrets about his time at Manchester United, despite enduring a challenging period both on and off the pitch.

After being deemed surplus to requirements by Ruben Amorim, Antony joined Real Betis in the second half of last season, marking a fresh start for him. The Brazilian winger scored nine goals in 26 appearances during the second half of the season, helping Betis reach the Conference League final.

Upon his return to England, Antony was placed in the ‘bomb squad’, training away from the first-team squad. He was also not part of the club’s pre-season friendlies. It wasn’t until the final days of the transfer window that he secured a permanent move to Betis.

READ MORE: Ruben Amorim ‘could be sacked’ if Man Utd lose to Sunderland as replacement ‘waiting’READ MORE: ‘Man Utd panic will have set in for Ruben Amorim – Sir Jim Ratcliffe is bound to be twitchy’

In a sit-down interview with ESPN Brasil, the winger was asked whether he would have changed anything about his spell at United.

“Look, I don’t think so, because, like I said, everything has a ‘why,’ [a purpose] he said.

“If I went there, it was because God wanted me to be there, to learn and to go through the things I went through. Today, I feel a much better man as well as a father.

“Before I signed for United, yes, I was close to signing for Liverpool. Everything has a why and I don’t just look at the negative times I had there, because I also won titles and had great experiences. So, I don’t regret it.”

Arriving at Old Trafford with a €100million (£86m) price tag, Antony failed to live up to expectations, and many questioned whether the fee affected his performances for the club.

“I knew about the responsibility I had because of that price tag, but I also knew I had done a lot to deserve that,” he confessed.

“I tried to not look or focus on that but as I said before, I think a lot of things off the pitch hurt me a lot so I ended up not performing as well as I could have.”

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