Manuel Pellegrini will have a new signing to strengthen Real Betis' ranks in January, with Manchester United allowing Antony to move to Andalusia. The Brazilian had agreed terms with Betis earlier this week, but manager Ruben Amorim had yet to approve the deal.
The story that has been reported is that Amorim was keen to ensure that if Antony left, he would receive reinforcements. Due to the uncertainty over the futures of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, the deal for Antony has been postponed.
It appears he has now received those assurances, as Antony has been given the green light to travel, according to Relevo. According to Fabrizio Romano, Betis will cover a surprisingly high 84% of his wages and bonuses until the end of the season. The loan agreement does not include a purchase option for Betis. In any case, it seems unlikely that Betis will come up with sufficient compensation for United to approve Ajax's departure for 91 million euros.
Antony will strengthen the right side of Pellegrini's attack, a position Rodri left in September and was often left to Aitor Ruibal or one of Giovani Lo Celso or Pablo Fornals. In theory at least, the Brazilian should provide more pace and more of a one-on-one threat in the side, with Ez Abde on the left being the only comparable profile in the Betis squad.
The 24-year-old has made 14 appearances for Manchester United this season, scoring just once, although it should be noted that most of those have been cameos. Of those appearances, Antony has only been named in the starting line-up twice and has only 407 minutes to his name. Antony will undoubtedly be hoping to kick-start his career in Spanish football after a difficult spell at Old Trafford.
Comments