Antony's agent has strongly rejected Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim's assessment that the Brazilian winger lacks the physical attributes needed for success in the Premier League.
"We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim, but we completely disagree with his analysis," Antony's agent Júnior Pedroso told Marca. "Associating Antony's lack of success at Manchester United solely with the issue of his physique is a very superficial argument and does not correspond to reality."
The 25-year-old Brazilian, who joined Spanish club Real Betis on a six-month loan in January, has struggled to live up to expectations since his £85 million ($109m) transfer from Ajax to Manchester United in 2022. During his time at Old Trafford, Antony managed just 12 goals in 96 appearances for the Red Devils.
Pedroso argues that Amorim, who took over as United's manager in November, never gave Antony a fair chance to prove himself. "The truth is that Antony has not had enough prominence or the confidence necessary to display his best football," he said. "Of the 15 games in which Amorim managed Manchester United, he only used Antony in nine, with a total of 252 minutes played. This represents only 18.6% of the total possible minutes (1,350 minutes). How can you judge an athlete without enough time for him to demonstrate his worth?"
Since moving to Spain, Antony has been rejuvenated, scoring two goals and providing two assists in just five LaLiga appearances for Betis. The player himself stated last month that the move to Betis was exactly what his career needed after failing to make an impact at Old Trafford.
"It has been an incredible experience for both him and his family," Pedroso revealed. "It seems that he has been at Betis for years, so natural has his adaptation been. He feels completely comfortable in Seville and is delighted with the city and the club. All this reinforces that the decision was absolutely correct."
The agent went on to explain why the move to Spain has worked out so well: "LaLiga was the ideal destination... Betis is a competitive team, that has a style of play that adapts well to Antony's qualities and an experienced coach like Manuel Pellegrini, who knows how to make the most of attacking players."
While the loan agreement that took Antony to Betis did not include an option for the Spanish club to automatically make the move permanent this summer, the Seville-based outfit has already expressed interest in keeping the Brazilian beyond this season. Antony remains under contract with Manchester United until June 2027.
