The 25-year-old, spent the second half of last season on loan at Betis where he scored nine goals in 26 games under the guidance of manager Manuel Pellegrini. Antony finally left United for the La Liga side on transfer deadline day in a move that he was desperate for.
Antony in tears
Antony remains United’s second-biggest signing in history at €95M, behind Paul Pogba at €105M and despite his form at Betis he is arguably the biggest flop the club has ever brought in after he scored just 12 goals and five assists in 96 appearances.
On Tuesday, Antony was unveiled as a Betis player and spoke to the media with the sunny Sevilla skyline behind him. He was forced to wipe away tears as he spoke about United and how happy he is to be back with Betis who welcomed him back with open arms.
"Only my family knows how difficult it was to be there (in tears).
"Training separately... but I knew this incredible moment was coming. Of course, I was afraid it wouldn't happen in the end, but I waited because I had so much faith."
Betis is another world
He then added how different life is at Betis, a club he was desperate to move to after years of pain with The Red Devils behind the scenes:
"What a difference! Seville is more beautiful than Manchester. I'm finally here. I spent more than 40 days in a hotel; it was very hard, but everyone knew I wanted to return to Betis.
"Now with more time, we have so many things to do and achieve. I had trouble sleeping after seeing so much affection from the Betis fans; there were people waiting at my house at 2am."
Fans mean everything
Finally, Antony explained that love from supporters means a lot more than the money offered to him at the likes of United as without the support players often feel disheartened and nervous about every performance on the pitch.
“For me, affection is very important and it’s not all about money.
“Here I have a lot of feeling and affection, it was always my first choice and that’s why I waited until the last day to return to Betis. Now I’m here and happy in a city and in a club that I love.”