Man Utd flop says he was ‘disrespected’ by club before summer transfer

Antony says he felt ‘disrespected’ in his last few weeks at Manchester United after being forced to live in a hotel and train separately from the rest of Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad.

The 25-year-old forward was placed on a transfer list by United at the start of the summer despite impressing on loan at Real Betis, where he finished with ten goals and six assists in all competitions last season.

It’s understood several top clubs around Europe expressed a strong interest in landing Antony, with Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich all linked.

The Saudi Pro League was also mooted as a potential escape route out of Old Trafford for the Brazil international, a player the Red Devils signed from Ajax for an eye-watering fee of £82million just three years ago.

But Betis made it clear they were keen for Antony to return on a permanent basis and the La Liga outfit struck a £21.6m deal with United on deadline day, bringing weeks of intense speculation to an end.

The winger has gone on to feature four times for Betis this season and opened his account for the campaign with a late equaliser during the side’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest in the Europa League.

In a new interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero, Antony opened up for the first time about just how hurt and offended he felt by United’s conduct in his final days at the club.

‘They were very tough months in England, more than 40 days in a hotel, training separately… I feel like I was disrespected, but that’s not the point,’ Antony explained.

‘I don’t want to create controversy, that’s life. I’m feel grateful towards the club.

‘There were bad times, but also good times with two titles.

‘My family traveled to Seville four or five days before the deal was finalised; they had rented the house. I had already spoken to them and my heart was telling me to return to Betis.’

Antony made sure to talk over his options with his loved ones at length before making a final decision on his future this summer.

‘I always look at happiness first and I was very happy here at Betis,’ he added.

‘I know my children and my wife are happy here. Before making the decision, I spoke with them all.

‘It’s an incredible city and the people, too. Not just the fans, but everyone.

‘I looked at my happiness first, because I know that when I’m happy, things turn out well. Money is important, but happiness is much more important.’

Antony is playing with a smile on his face again under Betis head coach and hopes to see the veteran Chilean extend his contract with the club beyond next summer.

‘He’s a great coach. We all know the history he has, it’s incredible,’ Antony said of Pellegrini.

‘Working with him makes me very happy because of the person he is, not just with me but with all the players.

‘The issue of the renewal is between the club and Pellegrini. I always want to spend more time with Pellegrini. But it’s their decision. I hope things turn out well.’

Antony is excited for the season ahead and believes Betis have put together an ‘incredible’ team capable of building on their Europa Conference League experience last term.

‘In my first interview, I said we had to fight in all the competitions. We have a very good team, I think we can fight,’ he went on.

‘Last season, we played in the Europa Conference League final and that shows us, day by day, that Betis is growing more and more.

‘The team is incredible. It’s the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced. Everyone is smiling, everyone is talking, and that makes all the difference. Everyone is always together, and that’s important, too.’

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