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Real Betis CEO Ramon Alarcon has revealed that Manchester United star Antony has expressed his desire to remain at the club for another year. The Brazil international has found his feet since moving to the Andalusian club on loan in January, contributing to four goals thus far.
Antony cost Manchester United reportedly £85 million from Ajax in the summer of 2022 but struggled to perform consistently for the Red Devils. The 24-year-old forward managed just 12 goals and five assists in 96 appearances across all competitions for the club, leading Ruben Amorim to sanction a loan move for him.
In an interview with Canal Sur's El Petolazo, Real Betis executive Alarcon revealed that the forward approached him to inform him of his wish to remain at the club. He said the left-footed forward is comfortable at the club and was positively surprised by the hospitality he received in Betis.
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"The other day, Antony told me that he wanted to stay another year. The player is very comfortable here and was surprised by the facilities we gave him to settle in the city as soon as he arrived," he said.
Antony was a regular for Erik ten Hag without making much headway, before Amorim relegated him to the bench in favor of playing Amad Diallo. The forward decided to leave the club on loan in January, opting to move to Spain with Real Betis.
Real Betis are interested in keeping Antony beyond the six-month duration of his loan, and it remains to be seen if they can work out a deal with Manchester United. The Red Devils will hope to secure a substantial part of their initial investment in the forward, be it from Real Betis or another side.
Manchester United set to be without youngster for Europa League
Manchester United will be without highly rated teenager Chido Obi for the remainder of their UEFA Europa League campaign. The 17-year-old striker is ineligible for the competition, having failed to meet the eligibility criteria from UEFA.
Obi has emerged as an option for Ruben Amorim's side in recent weeks amid goal droughts for both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. The young striker has scored 12 goals in nine games for the club's U-18 side, leading him to be drafted into the senior squad.
Manchester United did not register the former Arsenal youngster as part of their A-squad for the knockout stages of the competition last month. He does not also qualify for their B-list, seeing as he only just joined the club last summer, and players only become eligible for the list after two years at a club.
Ruben Amorim will have to hope that Hojlund and Zirkzee manage to produce the goods for his side against Real Sociedad in the last-16 of the competition. In the meantime, Obi will continue to participate in the Premier League, with a game against former club Arsenal to come next.
