WROCLAW, Poland — As the final whistle blew in Wroclaw, Chelsea lifted the UEFA Conference League trophy. But for Manchester United fans, all eyes were on a different story: Antony’s performance, or lack of it.
The Brazilian winger, on loan at Real Betis, was handed a starting place by Manuel Pellegrini for Wednesday night’s final. But his showing left little for fans to cheer about.
Antony, 25, joined Betis on a six-month loan in January after falling out of favour with new United boss Ruben Amorim. Since the move, he’s shown flashes of form — scoring nine goals and delivering five assists in all competitions. But under the spotlight of a European final, he faded.
On social media platform X, United fans didn’t hold back.
“This still looks like United Antony to me…” wrote one user.
Another asked bluntly: “Antony playing tonight, lads?”
One fan claimed, “Cash out on Antony immediately, man can’t handle the Premier League,” while another posted: “That La Liga hype ain’t working vs a Prem team.”
There was also frustration with the narrative that Betis had ‘fixed’ Antony. “He’s been scoring screamers against mid-table Spanish teams,” a user wrote. “Now faced with Chelsea — anonymous.”
The criticism piled on as United supporters questioned whether his recent form was ever more than a false dawn.
A Night to Forget
Betis had made a strong start. Abde Ezzalzouli gave the Spaniards the lead inside 10 minutes, raising hopes of a famous win. But Chelsea responded with a storm.
Enzo Fernández equalised. Then came goals from Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho — also on loan from United — and Moisés Caicedo to seal a 4-1 comeback win.
As the match slipped away from Betis, Antony struggled to make an impression. He was isolated, largely ineffective, and at times, looked short of ideas.
“This Antony performance just slashed £20m off his transfer fee,” one fan remarked. Another added, “It’s not the environment — it’s the player’s mentality.”
What’s Next for Antony?
Antony remains under contract at Old Trafford until 2027. While Betis covered most of his wages during the loan, there is no option to buy — meaning he’s set to return to Manchester in June.
His future, though, looks uncertain.
United manager Ruben Amorim has already shown a willingness to make bold decisions. Antony, who cost United around £86m from Ajax in 2022, hasn’t come close to justifying the fee.
Speaking before the final, Amorim hinted at a clean slate for everyone, but also emphasised performance: “Every player has a chance here, but they must prove it. Nothing is guaranteed.”
Now, with Jadon Sancho making waves at Chelsea and Antony misfiring on a big stage, United fans are left wondering: is there still a place for him at Old Trafford?
For now, the noise from Wroclaw is loud and clear — and Antony will have to do more than score a few wonder goals in Spain to win back the faith of the United faithful. Antony has shone at Real Betis, going past the wildest of expectations so the spotlight was firmly on him in the biggest game of Betis’ season.
Unfortunately, Antony struggled vs Chelsea, while Jadon Sancho scored in the final. That is quite a fortune reversal since Antony has impressed in Spain while Sancho has been so bad Chelsea are exploring options to send him back.
In the process, Antony proved Ruben Amorim right. Only this time, neither party will be happy that has happened.Antony proves Ruben Amorim correct
Antony was such a distressed asset in January that United were happy to send him anywhere, even without a buy clause, as long as he left Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag’s favouritism didn’t do any favours to his standing with the fans, while Amorim didn’t look like he fancied him from the very first moment he arrived. Therefore, Antony’s form in Spain came as quite a surprise to onlookers, as he was a player transformed with just a change in surroundings.
