Antony reveals Matheus Cunha wanted him to stay at Manchester United
Antony joined Manchester United for a staggering £86 million from Ajax in 2022. Fans and everyone linked to the club were impressed with his raw talent and skills, and had huge expectations from the Brazilian. They wanted him to show his class at Old Trafford and had invested huge expectations in the Brazilian.
However, things did not turn out the same for the 25-year-old in the United jersey, as he started to lose confidence and not replicate the same performance from the Ajax days in the Red Devils jersey. The situation grew worse under new management. We reported earlier that Real Betis’ CEO called Antony his most difficult signing, highlighting the emotional and complicated nature of his transfer story.
What did Antony say?
In a recent interview with AS, Antony revealed a key detail from his difficult final months at United. He said that a new signing at Old Trafford, Matheus Cunha, urged him to stay at the club and play alongside him. Yet, despite their friendship, the 25-year-old winger admitted that the situation had already gone too far. He added that he cares deeply for his fellow Brazilian, but his heart had already moved elsewhere.
“Matheus Cunha wanted me to play there with him, but the situation was already complicated. I love him very much.”
We can clearly understand from Antony’s statements how tough and gruelling his final days at Manchester United looked. New signing Cunha did try to convince him, but his relationship with the Red Devils was beyond repair, and he had started to enjoy his new bond with Betis and the city of Seville. Antony had got back his confidence during his loan spell in Spain.
The Brazilian winger played freely under Manuel Pellegrini and felt the love from fans who nicknamed him “Antonio de Triana.” In a recent interview, the Brazilian also called out the disrespect at Manchester United. He said that training away from the first team made him feel unwanted. By the time the summer window came, he no longer cared about money or fame. He just wanted peace of mind.
Antony’s redemption
Antony ended a long and tiring chapter at Old Trafford with his permanent move to Seville in the summer transfer window of 2025. The Brazilian fell out of favour under the new manager, Ruben Amorim, who forced him to train away from the first team and did not give him any sort of opportunity to come back into the first team. The 25-year-old then decided that it was time to pack his bags and leave United for his and the club’s sake.
His £86 million transfer brought little success. He scored 12 goals and made five assists in 96 matches—numbers far below expectations. Antony admitted that his personal problems damaged his performance. Once he joined Betis on loan in early 2025, he turned things around. He scored nine goals and provided six assists in 26 games.
The winger became a vital part of Pellegrini’s team. He used his energy, movement, and creativity more freely. He even rejected a higher offer from Bayern Munich because he wanted to return to Betis and rebuild his career with pride.
Now, Antony continues his 2025-26 season in Spain with a goal and an assist in the UEFA Europa League. The Brazilian keeps proving that footballers sometimes need a new environment to find themselves again. Manchester United made financial sense by selling him, but they showed a deeper failure in handling his career.
They misunderstood his needs and lost a player who only needed belief. Antony’s revival shows that footballers need trust as much as opportunity. What do you think—did Manchester United give up on Antony too soon, or was his exit bound to happen?