Antony opens up on Man Utd exit, reveals he turned down Bayern Munich for Real Betis | OneFootball

Brazilian winger Antony has opened up on his move away from Manchester United last summer.

The 25-year-old ended his disappointing three-year spell at Old Trafford last summer when he joined Real Betis on a permanent move for a fee of around £25 million.

Antony first joined Betis on a season-long loan from United last season and reinvented himself in the Spanish top flight.

He enjoyed an impressive campaign, notching five goals and two assists in 17 La Liga games.

The Brazilian international also helped Betis reach the final of the Europa Conference League with four goals and three assists in nine games, although the Spanish side lost 4-1 to Chelsea in Poland.

Antony’s loan spell convinced Betis to make his move permanent, and United were more than happy to cut him loose after placing him in a five-man “bomb squad”.

Looking back at his time at Old Trafford, Antony insists he has no bad blood with his former employers and instead chooses to consider it a part of his growth.

“I don’t hold any grudges, I’m not angry at anyone there [United],” Antony told Globo.

“This serves as a great learning experience for me when faced with certain situations because that’s part of life, it’s part of the process.

“I’m also very grateful to Manchester United because I didn’t only experience bad moments, but I also had some good moments there, with people I met who were also great.”

Antony also revealed that he turned down a late move to Bayern Munich just hours before the transfer window closed.

He claimed that he received a call from Bayern manager Vincent Kompany, but couldn’t go back on his word, having already agreed to join Betis.

“I’m going to be completely honest with you right now. It really shook me up,” he said. “We’re talking about a global giant, Bayern Munich, where a coach with that kind of history, Kompany, calls me.

“And we have a conversation there, he was super polite to me, said he always really liked my football, and this was at 11 pm, a little after 11.

“And, whether I wanted to or not, it really affected me. But what weighed heavily on my decision was also my family.”