Manuel Pellegrini believes Antony is using his Real Betis loan as a form of revenge to prove his worth.
The Manchester United winger struggled to adapt to English football after his £86m move from Ajax in 2022.
Following Erik ten Hag’s sacking, Ruben Amorim sanctioned a loan move to Spain, where Antony has flourished.
In just four games for Betis, the Brazilian has racked up three goals, an assist, and multiple Player of the Match awards.
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His impressive form has led to questions about why he couldn’t produce similar performances at United.
Pellegrini feels Antony’s mentality has played a big role in his resurgence.
“The most important thing has been his attitude and his self-criticism,” he told Estadio Deportivo.
“If they paid that much money for him, it is because he is a player of a great level.
“For reasons unknown to me, he was not able to perform as expected at Manchester United.”
The Chilean coach also believes Antony is determined to prove his doubters wrong.
“It is a revenge on himself to show that he is a much more mature player,” Pellegrini added.
“I have spoken a lot with him to make him calm.
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“He doesn’t need to do anything spectacular – just keep it simple.
“He is a great player who does important things for the team.
“I hope he continues at that level until the end of the season because he will help us a lot.”
Antony is set to return to Old Trafford this summer, where his future will be assessed.
Amorim had already begun phasing him out of the squad before his exit.
It is believed that Antony was not suited to his preferred 3-4-2-1/3-4-3 system.
With United likely to undergo further squad changes, Antony’s long-term future remains unclear.
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