Real Betis head coach Manuel Pellegrini said Manchester United loanee Antony “wants revenge” for the way his Old Trafford career deteriorated before his move to Seville.
Wednesday’s Conference League final against Chelsea in Wroclaw could be the 25-year-old’s final match for the club he joined on a six-month deal in January, the move bringing to an end a troubled spell in the Premier League during which he failed to live up expectations set by a fee of up to £87million.
The winger, who has reportedly been made available for permanent transfer by United, told Brazilian media this week that he could go “days without eating” during his lowest moments as he struggled to match the standards he set playing for former club Ajax, from whom he joined in 2022.
With nine goals in 25 games for Betis, including one in each leg of the 4-3 aggregate semi-final win against Fiorentina that set up Wednesday’s showpiece in Poland, he has enjoyed a resurgence as the team finished sixth in La Liga, with the club believed to be keen to sign him permanently.
Atletico Madrid and Juventus are reportedly set to offer competition for his signature, with United likely to make back a fraction of the fee they paid.
“I spoke with him before he came to Betis,” said Pellegrini, who has led Betis to their first European final. “He told me that he was not playing because he was not happy.
“But he has a lot of complaints about what he has done. He wants revenge. I think he did it the way we know he can do it.
“It is not easy for you to pay 100 million (euros) for a player. Antony is a very good player. I am absolutely sure that this is a huge time for him to continue improving his career.”
Chelsea are clear favourites to win on Wednesday and become the first club to achieve a clean sweep of the three current UEFA competitions.
Sunday’s victory against Nottingham Forest ensured it will be the Champions League next year for the Blues and with their season’s objective in the bag, there will be less pressure on the players in Wroclaw than if they had been trying to salvage their campaign.
Nevertheless, Betis will pose a sterner test than any of Chelsea’s previous European opponents and boast a number of highly decorated stars including five-time Champions League winner Isco and ex-Barcelona defender Marc Bartra.
“We don’t think that we are David and Goliath,” said Pellegrini, himself a Premier League winner with Manchester City in 2014.
“We think that tomorrow we have exactly the same possibility to win the game. We are going to start from the first minute to try to do it.
“It doesn’t matter how much one team or the other team (spends). In 90 minutes on the pitch we will have exactly the same chance to win the game.”
