David de Gea was left shocked on Thursday night when Antony scored a screamer against him in the Europa Conference League.
Manchester United flop Antony is enjoying a resurgence on loan at Real Betis, but his future is up in the air as it remains uncertain whether the Spanish club will be able to afford a permanent deal in the summer.
Ineos will be looking to generate funds from player sales and it’s no secret that they will be trying to shift Antony at the end of the season.
Since joining Real Betis on a temporary deal in the winter transfer window, Antony has registered 10 goal contributions in 19 matches. It’s a huge improvement from his four goals and two assists in his last 18 months at Old Trafford.
Antony will hope to end the season with a trophy as Real Betis remain in contention to win the Europa Conference League, with the Brazil international starring in their pursuit of European glory.
Photo by Damjan Zibert/Soccrates/Getty ImagesAntony caught David de Gea by surprise
Antony featured in the Real Betis starting line-up against Fiorentina on Thursday night and played 90 minutes, scoring their second goal in a 2-1 win at the Villamarin Stadium.
In the 64th minute, Antony’s sensational strike beat David de Gea in the Fiorentina goal.
The goal gives the La Liga outfit an advantage going into the Europa Conference semi-final second leg, which is scheduled to take place next week in Florence.
Speaking after the game last night, De Gea issued a dig at Antony, stating that he has never seen him score a goal with his right foot.
“I trained with Antony 1,000 times and he never scored a goal with his right foot in any training session, but now he is in confidence and is proving the player he is,” said De Gea.
“I’m happy for him because he was coming from a difficult moment at United and now he’s showing the best of himself.”
Europa League Conference final could feature two Man Utd loanees
If Real Betis beat Fiorentina and qualify for the Europa Conference League final, there is a good chance they will face Chelsea in the final.
That means Antony could line up against fellow United loanee Jadon Sancho, who also scored in the semi-final first leg against Djurgårdens.
The final could become a battle of the United loanees, although the Red Devils will be more focused on winning the Europa League.