Man Utd exile Antony sends another clear message to Ruben Amorim

Antony was allowed to leave Manchester United on loan during the winter transfer window and has been enjoying his football a lot more since linking up with Real Betis

Antony’s dream start to life at Real Betis continued on Thursday with a fine goal in the Spanish club’s Conference League play-off in Gent.

The Brazilian winger has struggled at Manchester United since joining in an £86million deal from Ajax in 2022. Neither Erik ten Hag nor Ruben Amorim found much use for him this season, despite United themselves languishing in the bottom half, and the latter allowed him to move on loan to Betis.

After a man-of-the-match performanceon his debut, Antony scored his first goal for Manuel Pellegrini’s side on his second appearance. The game ended in defeat, though, with opponents Celta Vigo turning a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory.

The setback didn’t slow the new man down, though. And his goal in Belgium on Thursday night helped him add to an already impressive highlight reel.

There didn’t look to be a great deal of danger when Antony received the ball out wide on the right just a minute into te second half. However, he was able to spin away from two Gent defenders before curling the ball out of reach of home goalkeeper Davy Roef.

His ability to perform away from Old Trafford didn’t go unnoticed on social media. “Look at how you switch up, now he doesn’t play for United,” one fan wrote.

“Never did this at United instead he was busy spinning the ball,” was the verdict from a second. A third simply suggested “United are genuinely cursed”.

Does Antony have a future at Manchester United? Have your say in the comments section

In December, United head coach Ruben Amorim suggested there was still quality in Antony’s game which could be unlocled. The 24-year-old was used sparingly by Amorim, though, and it has been down to Pellegrini to find that special something.

“He needs more confidence,” Amorim said after United’s Carabao Cup exit against Tottenham. “If you remember the Antony at Ajax, he lacks a little bit of confidence to go one-v-one, so he will improve.

“But he’s working really hard, he’s trying, he’s playing more inside than outside, especially in this game (against Tottenham). You have to do that to work really hard and that will help him to be a better player.”

Betis saw a second goal disallowed not too long after Antony’s, with Ez Abde ruled to have handled before firing home. It was 2-0 with less than 20 minutes remaining, though, with Antony playing a part in the build-up before Cedric Bakambu found the net, and Sergi Altimira later came off the bench to make it three.

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