Antony reveals he was close to joining Premier League club after making bold Ballon d’Or claim

Manchester United winger Antony was signed for the club for big-money three years ago but is currently on loan at La Liga side Real Betis.

Late in the January transfer window, Manchester United opted to loan out underperforming winger Antony to Real Betis.

The Brazilian had struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford following his £85 million move from Ajax in the summer of 2022.

However, he has made a strong start at Betis, contributing to five goals in his first six appearances for the Spanish side.

The 24-year-old will now be keen to make an impact against Real Madrid this weekend after La Liga accepted the red card appeal made by Betis after he was controversially sent off last time out.

Antony reveals Liverpool move was close

Antony was excelling at Ajax in the Netherlands before his move to United and the player has now revealed that he could have moved elsewhere.

In fact, the Brazilian says that rumours of a move to United rivals Liverpool were true, and that he was very close to joining the Premier League club.

“It’s true,” Antony admitted during an interview with Kooora. “I almost signed for Liverpool, but I don’t know what would have happened.

“I went to Manchester and had incredible moments there. It was a good choice too.”

Antony scored in a dramatic FA Cup win against the Merseyside club on United’s way to winning the competition last year.

Antony makes Ballon d’Or claim

Unfortunately for United, their rivals are storming the Premier League this season and look set to match the 20 title record Sir Alex Ferguson achieved.

Mohamed Salah has been the catalyst for Liverpool’s strong season, with the Egyptian winger already having scored 30 goals and registered 22 assists so far this term.

Antony also praised the Liverpool forward in his latest interview, labelling him as an “incredible player”.

The United loanee also believes that Salah will be among the favourites to win the next Ballon d’Or.

Read More: Alan Shearer delivers shock Manchester United vs Fulham score prediction, FA Cup revenge on the cards

“Salah is an incredible player who has been doing great things for a long time. He’s a great player,” added Antony.

“I don’t know if he’s the best in the world, but he has to be among the best competing for the Ballon d’Or.”

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.