Antony delivers sly Man Utd message after another loan goal | OneFootball

Antony, who left Manchester United in the January transfer window to join Real Betis on loan, says "everything comes naturally" when you are "happy" in your environment.

The 24-year-old was shipped out of the Old Trafford exit door to bring the curtain down on a disastrous two-and-a-half-year stint at the club.

A scorer of three Premier League goals in his first three Manchester United games, Antony bagged just two more in the 59 games that followed - his return across all competitions since the beginning of 2023/24 a meagre four goals in 52 appearances.

Real Betis came calling, offering Antony a career lifeline, and he's hit the ground running in Spain. Seemingly at the heart of Manuel Pellegrini's plans, he scored a first La Liga goal in the recent clash with Celta Vigo and was again on target on Thursday during Betis' comfortable 3-0 win over Gent in the Conference League.

"When you are happy, everything comes naturally," Antony remarked after the game, in quotes carried by Spanish publication El Desmarque. "My head, my heart, told me that I was going to be happy here."

Antony's remarks suggest his time at United was anything but a happy experience, perhaps contributing to his extreme lack of form on the pitch. And the positive feelings may yet continue for the former Ajax star if comments from Betis' CEO Ramon Alarcon about a permanent transfer are to be believed.

Antony cut a frustrated figure at Manchester United / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

"I think so," Alarcon told Cadena SER's Radio Sevilla. "The other day the CEO of United called me. We sent them all the moves and details of the player throughout the week so that they can see that we are looking after their asset.

"There is very good chemistry with Manchester [United] and with the player. It is a possibility that he will continue next season, why not?"

Betis will need to negotiate a transfer fee with United if they do look to sign Antony on a permanent basis, though it's highly unlikely the Red Devils will recoup anywhere near the £80m+ figure they agreed to pay Ajax in August 2022.

Antony's upturn at Betis is perhaps no surprise, with Ruben Amorim previously stating that an increase in confidence could work wonders. "If you remember the Antony at Ajax, he lacks a little bit of confidence to go one-v-one, so he will improve," Man Utd's head coach remarked.

"But he's working really hard, he's trying, he's playing more inside than outside. You have to do that to work really hard and that will help him to be a better player."