Manchester United winger Antony has had a unique 'penalty clause' inserted into his loan deal at Real Betis if he does not play a certain number of games.
Betis will give the Brazilian an escape route from his nightmare at Old Trafford after he joined the club for £85m in 2022.
The former Ajax star has not justified his eye-watering price tag, scoring just 12 goals from 96 appearances and failing to start a single Premier League game under Erik ten Hag or Ruben Amorim this season. He will now hope to revive his career at La Liga club Betis, although reports from Spain claim United have included a unique clause in his loan deal.
According to Spanish newspaper Relevo, United have agreed to pay Betis less than 50 percent of his £200,000-a-week wages, but they must play the 24-year-old in a certain number of games or face a fine.
This would see Antony get more playing time in La Liga, increasing the chances of him performing well, which in turn could mean United have an easier task in selling him in the summer.
It is currently unknown how many games he would have to play to avoid Betis having to pay the fine, and it is not believed there is an option to buy the deal.
Antony has played in just 14 of United's 33 games in all competitions and was left red-faced in the 3-1 win over cellar boys Southampton last week after missing an open goal.
Despite his golden miss against the Saints, Amorim said he performed well and stressed he did not want to lose any players in the January transfer window.
“Like I said, I want to keep my players, I'm concentrating on these players. I don't know what will happen this year, we'll see. But he did a good job.” [vs Southampton].”
Antony is approaching 100 appearances for United, having made 96 appearances so far. He played a big role in this first season of 2022/23 under Erik ten Hag, making 44 appearances in all competitions, but his playing time has diminished with each season since.
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