Is Antony playing so well that Amorim feels any regret?
Antony just delivered another outstanding performance against Nottingham in the opening match of the 2025/26 Europa League. His brilliance is something MU has been desperately missing, and sometimes fans wonder whether the club’s harsh treatment of him was justified.
Antony excels at bursting into form
Antony cost MU nearly 100 million euros from Ajax to secure his services in the summer transfer window of 2022. It was a signing expected to light up MU’s right flank, especially when Cristiano Ronaldo was still at his peak or when Antonio Valencia was still at Old Trafford. However, at the “Theatre of Dreams,” the Brazilian star became mainly known for his spinning dribbles and unfortunate missed chances, never reaching the anticipated level of performance. This is why Antony couldn’t maintain his place in the Red Devils’ squad, leading to his loan move to Betis, and eventually a permanent transfer to the Spanish club in the summer of 2025 for just over 20 million euros. Simply put, MU suffered a huge loss because of Antony.
When everyone considered Antony worthless, he transformed completely upon joining Betis.Last season, the 25-year-old striker became the driving force behind Betis’ attacking play, guiding the Spanish team all the way to the Europa Conference League final (losing 1-4 to Chelsea). Specifically, the Brazilian star contributed to 14 goals across all competitions for Betis in the 2024/25 season, including 4 goals and 3 assists in the Europa Conference League. Betis almost secured a Champions League spot but regardless of the outcome, Antony’s contribution cannot be overlooked.
This season, after Betis made his transfer permanent, Antony caused MU some regret in the 2025/26 Europa League. In the recent 2-2 draw against an English Premier League side Nottingham Forest, the former Red Devil shone brilliantly. He had a huge impact on the home team’s gameplay by directly assisting his strike partner Cedric Bakambu to open the scoring in the 15th minute. Later, Antony scored the winning goal to make it 2-1 for Betis with only 5 minutes left in regular time.
Antony was the best player in this match with a rating of 8.9. This recognition followed his top-notch performance against a tough and strong Nottingham side. In this game, the ex-MU star was very active and served as Betis’ key player. He was one of the players with the most touches for the home side (80 times). Besides scoring one goal and providing one assist, Antony also had 3 other shots and 2 key passes creating scoring opportunities for teammates.
According to former midfielder Joe Cole, the difference lies in how the players are utilized. At Betis, the Brazilian forward is fully trusted and given every chance. Therefore, when he steps onto the pitch, he feels confident and ready to give more than 100% effort and show the best of himself. Meanwhile, at MU, Antony always faced huge pressure under scrutiny, especially due to the massive transfer fee close to 100 million euros MU paid Ajax.
Sharing the same view as Joe Cole, Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini told the Spanish media: “We always encourage players to play creatively and be themselves. Fortunately, Antony is one of those stars. He found himself through hard work and creativity. That has completely changed his mentality compared to when he was at MU.”
What does Amorim think about Antony and Rashford?
Against Newcastle and Levante, Rashford scored for Barca. This is an impressive record, showing Rashford’s revival. It proves that as long as Rashford has motivation, belief, and happiness, he can explode strongly. Only Ferran Torres (4) and Raphinha (3) have scored more goals than Rashford. He leads the assist charts alongside Yamal and Dani Olmo.
After Rashford, it’s Antony’s turn. Previously, Antony had a few warm-up games as he spent almost the entire summer training alone, but once he found his rhythm, the former Ajax player quickly flourished despite the absence of his “partner” Isco. Antony is more modest but also exploded in his Europa League debut: scoring 1 goal and providing 1 assist in Betis’ 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, the trio of forwards MU spent 200 million pounds on — Cunha, Mbeumo, and Sesko — have yet to bring smiles despite high expectations. Cunha and Sesko have not scored or assisted yet. After a noisy summer, the paradox seems to haunt MU again. While two “excess” players quickly regained form and flourished in new environments, the names MU, or more precisely coach Amorim, eagerly wanted to bring in have not delivered much.
Mbeumo runs a lot and moves smartly but isn’t strong enough to lift the whole team because the surrounding players have their own issues. Sesko seems unable to find his rhythm in the Premier League, and Amorim hasn’t fully understood his strengths and weaknesses. Cunha has only stood out in a few dribbles but remains ineffective. Of course, only time will tell if Amorim was right or wrong not to give chances to Rashford and Antony and to spend heavily on Cunha, Mbeumo, and Sesko. But for now, MU and Amorim are losing 0-1.
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