Manchester United add 'unique' clause in Antony to Betis loan agreement as clear plan revealed

Antony has been handed a lifeline by La Liga side Real Betis, who have agreed to take the Brazilian on loan from Manchester United for the remainder of the season.

The winger who arrived at Old Trafford for a staggering £85million in 2022, has failed to live up to expectations, scoring just 12 goals from 96 appearances. He has not started a single Premier League game this season under either Erik ten Hag or Ruben Amorim.

As part of the loan deal, Spanish outlet Relevo (via The Mirror) reports that Betis will pay less than half of Antony's £200,000-a-week wages, but must play him in a certain number of games or face a penalty fee. This clause is designed to ensure Antony gets more game time, potentially boosting his performance and making it easier for United to sell him in the summer.

It's unclear how many games he needs to play to avoid the penalty however, and there is no option to buy in the deal. Antony has only featured in 14 of United's 33 games in all competitions this season and was left embarrassed after missing an open goal in the 3-1 win over Southampton last week.

Despite Antony's glaring miss against the Saints, Amorim praised his performance and emphasised his desire to retain his squad during the transfer period. "Like I said, I want to keep my players, I'm focused on these players," the Portuguese boss said.

"I don't know what is going to happen this window, we'll see. But he did a good job [vs Southampton]."

Antony is nearing a century of appearances for United, having played 96 matches to date. He was a prominent figure in Ten Hag's first season (2022-23), making 44 appearances across all competitions, although his playing time has diminished with each passing season.