The agent of Antony has hit back at comments from Ruben Amorim blaming a lack of physicality for the player’s struggles at Manchester United.
Antony joined Real Betis on loan in the January transfer window after being deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford. The Brazil winger endured a difficult time in the Premier League, scoring just five times in 62 appearances after arriving from Ajax in a high-profile deal.
Antony has made an instant impact since moving to Spain. He has two goals and two assists in five La Liga appearances and Manchester United manager Amorim suggested the reduced physicality in Spanish football was behind his upturn.
“When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there. If you don’t have physicality, you will struggle a lot,” Amorim said.
“Antony is so much better now in Spain. It’s [because of] a lot of factors but I guarantee you it’s physicality.”
However, the player’s agent, Junior Pedroso, has refuted those claims and says a lack of opportunity was behind his struggle at Old Trafford.
“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 the question of physicality is a very superficial argument and does not reflect reality,” Pedroso told Marca.
“The truth is that Antony has not had enough prominence or the confidence necessary to play his best football. Of the 15 games in which Amorim managed Manchester United, he only used Antony 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 an athlete without a minimum sequence to prove his worth?
“The manager’s statement, although perhaps it was not his intention, 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 he arrived at Real 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.
“This highlights that the problem was not the physicality, but the context and the way he was managed in Manchester.
“Many players who do not prosper at United find success at other clubs, which leads us to wonder if the problem really lies with the players.”
