Antony opens up about 'pressure' at Manchester United

The Brazilian is enjoying a productive time at Real Betis.

Manchester United loanee Antony opens up about his struggles at Old Trafford and reveals he was never under pressure at the club despite his massive price tag. The Brazilian further went on to state that he knows all about pressure, having previously “played against drug traffickers.”

The notorious Inferinho favela, which means “Little Hell,” is located on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, where the Brazil international was raised. Not unexpectedly, the school of hard knocks taught him many valuable life lessons.

After regaining a lost spark during a loan spell in Spain, Antony has been demonstrating his professional resolve lately. He was never one to back down from a task. The 25-year-old, who was written off at Old Trafford after a 2022 move of £85 million ($110 million), has been receiving a lot of attention in Andalusia.

Antony said to DAZN why he finds it simple to overlook alleged issues in his football career: “

“When I’m asked about pressure, I say ‘what pressure?’ I faced pressure in the favela when I didn’t have shoes to play, I played against drug traffickers and everything. That was real pressure.

“When I left in the morning to go to school I often didn’t eat. So when I go through difficult moments I always think about the challenges that I overcame in the past.”

With four goals and an equal number of assists in 11 games for Real Betis, Antony is once again exhibiting those traits. Ahead of the upcoming transfer window, there has already been discussion of interest from teams like Bayern Munich. But the Spanish team is still keen to sign an extended loan agreement.

🇧🇷 Antony: "When someone talks to me about pressure. I always reply: "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲?". 🤔I felt real pressure when 𝗜 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀.That was real pressure!" pic.twitter.com/7sZWF47SFW

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) March 27, 2025

However, if Antony continues to impress, then United could give a second thought to keeping the forward and providing him with another chance to prove his price at the club.

Until then, Antony will hope to be important for Betis and help them secure a spot in the Champions League, as they are eight points adrift of fourth place.

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