“We realised…” – Agent reveals moment Manchester United outcast knew he had to leave Old Trafford

Manchester United allowed three senior players to leave the club on loan during the latest January transfer window.

Ruben Amorim’s side only brought in one major mid-season signing at Manchester United, with Patrick Dorgu being signed for around £25 million.

However, alongside several youth talents, Marcus Rashford, Antony and Tyrell Malacia were allowed to also depart the club on loan moves.

Antony had experienced a difficult time at Old Trafford since arriving from Ajax for big money in the summer of 2022.

The Brazilian winger has moved to Real Betis, where he has been excelling and improving his stock after it dropped tremendously at United.

Antony’s agent reveals moment he knew to leave United

Antony’s agent, Júnior Pedroso, has been discussing his client’s decision to move to Spain on loan in January and revealed the moment they realised he had to leave Old Trafford.

After Amorim took charge at the club, Antony only started twice before his departure, which made it clear that he wouldn’t get many minutes in the back-end of the season.

Pedroso suggests that this period made Antony’s camp realise that he needed to move to gain more game-time at a “crucial time” for the player.

“We realised that Antony would have few minutes at Manchester United at a crucial time to recover his football, so I spoke to his brother Emerson about the possibility of a relocation on loan. It was unanimous, La Liga was the ideal destination,” Pedroso told Marca.

“We identified three or four clubs that could fit the bill and Betis emerged as the most promising option, so we started talking to [Manu] Fajardo, [Ramón] Alarcón and Ladrón de Guevara and later, with my partner Cristiano, we negotiated with Manchester United.

“We spoke with two other La Liga clubs, one of them even presented a formal offer. He studied the team, the squad and the style of play, and decided quickly.

“Several factors were decisive. The city of Seville, with a welcoming environment for Antony and his family; the style of play in La Liga, which fits his characteristics; the competitiveness of Betis; and of course, the work of Pellegrini.”

Amorim explains why Antony is succeeding in La Liga

Antony has been enjoying his time on loan at Betis so far, with the winger most recently playing 90 minutes in a shock 2-1 win over Real Madrid.

It was important for the Brazilian to start getting more game-time and improving his levels. He has suited the way of play in La Liga a lot.

Amorim has suggested that one of the major reasons behind Antony’s success so far is the lack of physicality in the Spanish division compared to the Premier League.

“When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there,” Amorim told TNT Sports. “If you don’t have physicality, you will struggle a lot.

“Antony is so much better now in Spain. It’s [because of] a lot of factors but I guarantee you it’s physicality.”

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