Manchester United loanee Antony received a raucous reception from Real Betis fans as his loan spell at the club looks set to draw to a close.
After a miserable 18-month spell at Manchester United, the Brazilian found himself surplus to requirements at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim.
However, since joining Betis on loan in January the winger has been a revelation in Manuel Pellegrini’s side and has clearly managed to ingratiate himself with the club’s supporters.
Having overcome Fiorentina on aggregate on Thursday the Spanish club has reached a European final for the first time and will face Chelsea to determine the 2025 Europa Conference League winners later this month.
With one of the biggest games in the club’s history awaiting them, more than 1000 fans gathered at the Benito Villamarin stadium to celebrate the achievement.
Chants of ‘Antony stay!’ rang out among supporters when the former Ajax star came into view after endearing himself to fans with eight goals and five assists in all competitions.
Antony received a hero’s welcome at the Benito Villamarin after Real Betis booked their place in the Europa Conference League final
Supports pleaded with the 25-year-old to remain at the club after his loan ends this summer
The ovation comes just days after Betis president Angel Haro revealed that plans are in place to try and keep Antony at the club beyond the summer.
‘His name was put on the table by the sporting director. It was a low-priced approach because Manchester United assumed almost all the salary,’ Haro told Cope.
‘The player wanted to come to Betis. It was a pure loan, it was very cheap for Betis and there was no option to negotiate anything.
‘Keeping Antony is very, very complicated. We will have a meeting with Manchester United to extend the loan for another year, to be able to share a percentage of the player… It’s about seeing the predisposition of the player and Manchester United.
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‘The first filter is put by Manchester United, and then the negotiation of the player would come, but that is a long way off.
‘In addition, now the player is plugged in wanting to lift a title with Betis. When the time comes and the season is over, he will be able to do his part if this option opens up.’
Despite arriving at Old Trafford amid much fanfare, the 25-year-old failed to live up to his hefty £86million during his time at the club.
After netting in his first three Premier League goals for the club – including a stunning strike against Arsenal on his debut – Antony ultimately fell out of favour at United as he failed to maintain his impressive start.
