VIDEO: Antony, that is outrageous! Man Utd flop scores two sublime long-range goals as Brazilian shines in dominant Real Betis victory over Mallorca

Antony has become a talismanic presence for Betis having initially linked up with them on a short-term loan in January. He registered nine goals across that spell, while also gracing the Conference League final. The South American made it clear over the summer that his preference was to secure a long-term future at Estadio Benito Villamarin. A protracted saga dragged out across a full transfer window, with Premier League giants United only sanctioning a sale on deadline day. Antony finally got his wish and has settled quickly again in familiar surroundings.

Having mustered just 12 goals for the Red Devils through 96 appearances, Antony has already matched that return across 32 outings for Betis. He has five efforts to his name this season, with a brilliant brace being recorded against Mallorca.

There were less than 10 minutes on the clock when Antony opened the scoring in that contest. He was allowed to drift inside from the right wing, play a neat one-two on the edge of the box and crash a low drive into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.

Antony’s second, which arrived just past the half-hour mark, was even better. Once again, he was able to exchange passes with a team-mate outside the penalty area before getting a clear sight of the target. On this occasion, he curled a sublime strike into the opposite corner. Betis were able to add a third courtesy of Abde Ezzalzouli before half-time, with Antony turning provider, and went on to prevail 3-0.

Antony was delighted with his contribution, even if he did miss out on a hat-trick. He told reporters afterwards: “Very happy with the result, it's very important. We knew how important today's match was because losing the three points at home against Atletico was very tough. Now, winning at home is very important for our confidence. We're moving on. I'm very happy with the two goals and the assist. It's a shame I didn't get the third, but that's part of the game.”

Betis have risen to fifth in La Liga, three points behind Atletico Madrid and the final Champions League qualification spot. Antony and Co. will be back in action on Thursday when playing host to French giants Lyon in their latest Europa League fixture.