An ex-Manchester United player has been told the all-important behind-the-scenes process that was needed to seal his move away from Old Trafford in the summer.
Ruben Amorim oversaw a busy summer transfer window for the Premier League club at Old Trafford, including both the signing of new talent and offloading players.
Different Manchester United first-team players were able to seal loan deals, with Marcus Rashford moving to Barcelona and Jadon Sancho signing for Aston Villa.
Rasmus Hojlund also completed a loan move to Napoli and the transfer will be made permanent to the defending Serie A champions if certain clauses are now met.
However, other United players were able to leave Old Trafford on a permanent basis this summer, with Alejandro Garnacho and Antony being two of the standout names.
Antony finally signed for Real Betis after a summer-long saga involving the Spanish club, while Chelsea snapped up Alejandro Garnacho from United in late August.
Real Betis sporting director Manu Fajardo reveals Man Utd talks over Antony after the 2025 summer deadline-day move
Antony had been waiting on the sidelines this summer amid Real Betis’ fierce interest in signing the former Manchester United player on a permanent basis.
Betis completed the signing of Antony on deadline day on Monday, with the La Liga club agreeing to an initial fee of £19.06m and a further £2.59m in add-ons.
According to BBC Sport, United have included a hefty 50 per cent sell-on clause in Betis’ deal for Antony and do not need to pay off the Brazilian over his club exit.
Betis sporting director Manu Fajardo has now said that the 25-year-old ex-United winger was the “most difficult signing” that he has had to make in his career.
“The truth is that despite my age, which is young – I’ve been in the profession for 15 years now – it’s been the most difficult signing I’ve made in my career, because we had to negotiate with a very big club,” he told ElDesmarque.
“Not long ago, they paid €100million for him; he had interest from many clubs worldwide, but with skill, sacrifice, and a lot of enthusiasm, we were able to do it.”
Manu Fajardo explains why La Liga outfit Real Betis made sure they signed Antony from Man Utd this summer
Antony impressed at Betis in the 2024-25 season after he left United in the January window, with the former Ajax ace revitalising himself during his loan spell.
Betis could have missed out on Antony to other leading European clubs who were linked with him, including Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid.
Manu Fajardo has insisted that the Spanish club had to take a measured approach over whether or not to sign Antony, all the while ensuring Betis’ financial stability in the market.
“The club hasn’t gone into debt at all,” he said.
“It’s generating capital gains, growing sportingly, and with the capital increase. We always said that if players like Antony came to Betis, it would always be with the club’s financial stability as a priority, and that’s what has happened.”
Antony has inked a deal with Betis until 2030 and the Brazil international will now be reunited with manager Manuel Pellegrini amid the 2025-26 La Liga campaign.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/sKOe9aG