Manchester United loanee Antony played 90 minutes for Real Betis on Sunday evening as they won 2-1 against their rivals Sevilla in a La Liga clash.
Antony, 25, faced a difficult period at Manchester United after joining in 2022, with his confidence seemingly low earlier this season.
As a result, Ruben Amorim decided to send the Brazilian winger out on loan, with Real Betis securing him for the remainder of the campaign.
The move has proven beneficial for all parties involved. Antony has regained his confidence, Betis are climbing the La Liga table, and United are seeing his market value rise.
After scoring four goals and four assists in his first 11 appearances for the Spanish side, Antony would have been wanting to keep that positive form going after club football returned following the international break.
While he did not score or assist on Sunday evening against Sevilla, the United loanee helped his team secure an important 2-1 victory which has seen them move seven points clear of eight-place in the table.
Antony and Betis suffer Barcelona blow
Betis’ form in the Spanish division since Antony’s arrival has been exceptional, with the Seville-based team winning their last six league fixtures, including a surprise 2-1 victory over Real Madrid.
Their next game will be the toughest of them all, though, with an away trip to league-leaders Barcelona coming next weekend.
Antony has fond memories of facing the Blaugrana after scoring the winning goal against them during United’s victory in the 2022/23 Europa League round-of-32.
However, the United loanee and his team will be without their star man Isco for that game, which comes as a huge blow for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
The former Real Madrid midfielder has been integral to Betis in the second half of the season after returning from injury in December. He has nine goals and six assists in 20 appearances, and set up the winner against Sevilla.
However, he was also booked early in the second half of that game, and with it being his fifth booking of the season, the 32-year-old is now suspended for the visit to the Camp Nou.
Antony loves playing with Isco at Betis
Antony has been developing a strong relationship with Isco since his arrival in Spain but the Brazilian will be tasked to take on more responsibility against Barcelona next weekend.
After the game against Sevilla, the United loanee expressed how happy he is to line up alongside Isco in the Betis team.
“Playing with Isco is a blast. He’s an incredible player and person,” the 25-year-old told DAZN.
The feeling is mutual for the five-time Champions League winner, who has previously described Antony as “incredibly talented”.
Isco also joked after the latest victory that Betis should be raising money to afford to sign the loanee permanently in the summer window.
“We need to do crowdfunding to bring Antony in,” he smiled when speaking to the same broadcasters as his teammate.
United would certainly like to see that happen, with the former Ajax winger’s future looking more and more likely to be away from Old Trafford as the days go by.
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