'Easy to be star man in Dutch league' - Man Utd warned off Antony return as Brazilian forward 'never looked great' despite impressing for Ajax & on loan at Real Betis

The Red Devils splashed out £85 million ($114m) when prising Antony away from Ajax in 2022, with Erik ten Hag reuniting with a player that he knew well from his title-winning spell in Amsterdam.

After making an encouraging start to life at Old Trafford, Antony quickly went off the boil - as unfortunate headlines were made on and off the pitch - and the decision was taken to send him out on loan to Real Betis in January 2025.

The South American winger has thrived in Spain, with more admiring glances being shot in his direction ahead of the summer transfer window, but the 25-year-old is still considered to be the wrong option for his parent club.

Ex-United coach Rene Meulensteen has told Action Network: “I would not bring him back that is for sure. He never looked great here and the boy’s performances are fueled with the wrong personality. That’s his problem.

“You can’t compare the Premier League with La Liga. The Premier League is totally different and it’s a total misjudgment from Erik ten Hag, they bring in players that they know (previously) and they don’t necessarily understand the environment they bring them into. It is easy to be the star man in the Dutch league because you can’t compare (the level). I wouldn’t bring him back.”

Meulensteen added when asked what legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson would have done with Antony: “He would never have brought him because one of the things that we know in Sir Alex’s time at the club, there were players that came and left who weren’t up to it. There is always some kind of gamble, but you try to minimize that gamble.

“One thing that Sir Alex was always big on was what kind of personality was I bringing into that squad? Because he created that environment and work rate and working is the greatest quality and if you don’t have it you don’t belong here.

“That got taken over from the likes of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs. When anybody came in, they had to get on into that same format as quickly as possible otherwise it would fall on the wayside.”

Antony is under contract at Old Trafford through to 2027, with that deal including the option for a 12-month extension. The expectation is, however, that United will look to sanction a permanent move elsewhere in the next transfer window.