Man Utd flop Antony confirms he rejected Premier League legend in the summer

Antony says he received a phone call from Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany in the summer and was ‘very tempted’ by the prospect of joining the Bundesliga champions.

Manchester United informed Antony he had no future under Ruben Amorim as last season drew to a close, with the 25-year-old falling some way short of expectations across a desperately disappointing three-year spell at Old Trafford.

However, an eye-catching six-month loan spell with Real Betis ensured there was plenty of interest in Antony when the transfer window opened for business in June.

Betis made it clear they were keen to sign Antony on a permanent basis on the back of his initial success and the likes of Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Fenerbahce, RB Salzburg, Newcastle were also linked with the Brazil international.

The Saudi Pro League was mooted as another potential option for Antony before Betis closed in on a total agreement, with United shaking hands on a £22m transfer fee.

Antony has picked up where he left off this season, racking up four goals and an assist in eight league appearances, and it seems the attacker has found his confidence again in Spanish football.

‘I’m finding myself again, finding myself happy,’ he told Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte.

‘Seeing my family smiling and being able to smile again is amazing because I went through some difficult times where even a smile cost me a lot.

‘And when I say I’ve found myself, it’s because of the way they have treated me here at Betis.

‘The affection with which everyone welcomed me here, I’m happy to find myself here again and I’m enjoying the little details.’

Antony said his loan spell with Betis was ‘one of the most beautiful chapters in his life’ when he begrudgingly returned to Manchester at the end of last season.

And while Antony reassured Betis that he wished to extend his beyond the summer, fierce competition from a host of top clubs threatened to scupper the club’s efforts to agree a permanent deal.

On the interest shown by Bayern Munich, Antony admitted: ‘Dude, I’m going to be completely honest with you right now, it really shook me up.

‘We’re talking about a global giant, Bayern Munich, where there is a coach with that kind of history.

‘Vincent Kompany, called me and we had a conversation.

‘He was super polite to me, said he always really liked my football, and this was at 11pm [on deadline day], a little after 11pm.’

But with Antony and his family settled and enjoying life in Seville, the Brazilian insists he has no regrets about his final decision.

‘Whether I wanted to or not, it [Bayern’s move] really affected me because of the greatness of the club, the greatness of the coach and the way he approached me, the way he talked to me.

‘But what weighed heavily on my decision was that I’m a family, man. It’s about looking out for my children.

‘Lorenzo [his son] loves this place, loves this city [Seville]. When we were on vacation in Brazil, without knowing anything, he always asked: “Dad, when are we going back to Spain?”‘

Isco has built up a strong relationship with Antony both on and off the pitch at Betis and it appears the Spaniard played a small role in convincing the forward to join the club in the summer.

Antony explained: ‘When I was in England, He would text me a lot when I was in England, saying: “Hey, Antony, are you coming or not?”

‘Now that he’s injured, and it’s good that he’s recovering, I said: “Now I’m waiting for you so we can play together, enjoy each other’s company.”

‘He’s is a great player and not only a great player, but also a great person. He welcomed me very well and we get along perfectly on and off the field.’

In a recent interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero, Antony claimed he felt ‘disrespected’ by Manchester United after being forced to live in a hotel and train separately from the rest of Amorim’s squad.

Asked to clarify his remarks, Antony said: ‘When I say I felt disrespected, it was also by some people who aren’t relevant here [not just Amorim].

‘I think I’m a guy who doesn’t like to be involved in controversy, doesn’t like to mention names or anything, but it was a little difficult.

‘Not just a little difficult, quite difficult, because it’s very complicated for me too.

‘I didn’t do pre-season training and I had to report to another club. Thank God, I’ve always taken good care of myself, so I managed to arrive here [at Betis] in good shape for the first game to play the full 90 minutes.

‘It had been three or four months since my previous game.’

Despite his wretched spell at Old Trafford, Antony has holds no ‘anger’ or ill will towards club that decided to part with £82m for his services in 2022.

‘I don’t hold any grudges, I’m not angry at anyone there,’ he went on.

‘This serves as a great learning experience for me to know how to fight with the right weapons and with wisdom when faced with certain situations because that’s part of life, it’s part of the process.

‘I’m also very grateful to Manchester United because I didn’t only experience bad moments, but I also had some good moments there, with people I met who were also great.

‘Now I’m here at Betis, Manchester was a very good experience and I’m very happy to be here at Betis.’

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