Manchester United knew the red flags with Antony and still refused to change their plans

There are certain footballers you can take one look at and think, "no". Antony was one of those.

Whatever his statistics were with Ajax, Sao Paulo and the Brazil national team, he was the wrong player at the wrong time for Manchester United. It was impossible for Antony to succeed.

The inflated fee the club paid for him on deadline day in September 2022 ensured that and so did Antony's skill set. He is a winger incompatible with the Premier League: one-paced, one-dimensional and one trick.

Antony's meretricious appearance screamed style over substance and that is what United got. There was that 'Anturny' gimmick that he once attempted with United goalless against FC Sheriff in the Europa League.

His United career is about to go on hiatus as Antony relocates to the more sedate pace of La Liga with Real Betis. Betis are 12th and Seville is a stunningly tranquil city. Calm away from the storm in Manchester.

United have to play the long game. They cannot sell Antony as they would make a loss under the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules. No club is daft enough to pay more than £40million for Antony. Not even a Saudi side.

In the summer, the magic number would be around £32.5m. Again, nobody is paying that. So the workaround is a season-long loan with an obligation to buy in summer 2026, when Antony will be worth a little over £16m, going off the amortisation of his fee across a five-year contract.

Antony will be remembered for goading the Championship players that United scraped past in a penalty shootout rather than scoring a winner against Barcelona or the game-changing equaliser against Liverpool. That ear-cupping gesture at Wembley was confirmation, as if any more were needed, that his character