Antony's agent fires back at Ruben Amorim with blistering attack on Man Utd manager

Antony's agent has delivered a scathing response to Ruben Amorim after the Manchester United head coach suggested the Brazilian was thriving in Spain because of reduced physical demands.

The 24-year-old winger, who joined Real Betis from United in January on a six-month loan, has made an instant impression for Manuel Pellegrini's side, notching three goals and two assists in seven games.

Antony's significant upturn in form has not gone unnoticed at Old Trafford and in an interview with TNT Sports, Ruben Amorim gave his take on why the Brazilian has flourished at the Estadio Benito Villamarín.

"When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there. If you don’t have physicality, you will struggle a lot," the Portuguese head coach said.

"Antony is so much better now in Spain. It’s [because of] a lot of factors but I guarantee you it’s physicality."

A few days later and Antony's agent, Junior Pedroso, has hit back at those comments with data to suggest Amorim's comments were off the mark.

Speaking to Spanish publication Marca, he began: "We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim, but we completely disagree with his analysis.

"To attribute Antony's lack of success at Manchester United solely to a physical issue is a very superficial argument and out of touch with reality. Antony did not have enough prominence or the confidence needed to show his best football.

"Of the 15 games that Amorim managed at Manchester United, Antony only played in nine, with a total of 252 minutes played. This represents only 18.6% of the total possible minutes (1,350 minutes).

"How can you judge a player without a minimum sequence that demonstrates his worth?

"This statement, even if unintentional, ends up devaluing La Liga and the Spanish competitions. Spanish football has one of the most competitive leagues in the world, with top-level teams that constantly compete in the final stages of the Champions League and the Europa League.

"The reality is that Antony, since arriving at Betis, has become one of the best players in the team and in the competition itself, demonstrating his full potential when given the right conditions to develop his game."

Antony was limited to just nine appearances under Amorim. Image credit: Getty

Pedroso added: "This makes it clear that the problem was not his physicality, but rather the context and the way he was coached in Manchester. Many players who do not thrive at United find success at other clubs, which leads us to question whether the problem really lies with the players."

Antony, who joined United from Ajax in September 2022 for a reported £86 million, has notched just 12 goals and five assists in 96 appearances for the Premier League club.

Thoughts on Pedroso's comments? Let us know in the comments.