Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim have been blamed for Antony’s flop at Manchester United, with the £85 million ($107m) winger now thriving at Real Betis.
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Brazilian forward struggled in EnglandSettled immediately following La Liga switchLong-term future yet to be determinedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The South American forward managed just four goals through his last 18 months at Old Trafford. He has already registered three since securing a loan switch to Spain during the winter transfer window. Confidence is flowing through the 24-year-old once more.
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That is, according to Betis legend Gabino Rodriguez, because he is playing for a coach in ex-Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini that believes in him and the qualities that he has to offer. Rodriguez has told : “It is obviously a bit too soon for a full assessment, but this footballer has class, no doubt about it. Technically he is a very gifted player. The initial impression is he’s landed on his feet at Betis. He scored in his first game, I can see hunger in him and the fans are very happy.
“Personally I have no doubts that Antony will adapt really well to Pellegrini’s system because the manager likes to play attacking football. Betis continuously go down the wings and Antony is the type of player who suits this coach well. Under another one he would struggle in all aspects, and that’s what happened at United. For me, Antony’s problem wasn’t him, but a coaching one.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Rodriguez added: “Watching how he has developed in the few matches he’s played so far, I think he’s one for a very distinct kind of coach – and the clearest and closest example is Pellegrini. There are others who take a more defensive approach and focus more on running and marking or covering. They are the ones who tend to have a more direct style and use long balls. Players like Antony completely disappear in those sort of matches.
“I’m told Antony has been well-received in the team and didn’t walk in with an air of superiority just because he came from United. He’s been quite the opposite, very humble, with a real eagerness to work. Things like that are highly valued at Betis. Antony just needed the type of coach who could spark him – and under Erik ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim, everything surrounding United looked like a funeral.”
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Having escaped the “funeral” at Old Trafford, Antony has been given freedom to express himself at Betis. It remains to be seen what his short and long-term future holds, with there no purchase option in his initial loan agreement – which suggests that he may yet to be welcomed back to England.
