Bring him back: Van der Sar says £40m star deserves second chance at Manchester United

Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar has urged the club to reintegrate Antony back into the squad after his productive loan stint with Real Betis.

The Brazil international had a lively start to his United career with three goals from as many appearances but managed only 14 goal contributions from his next 92 games.

Antony was loaned out to Real Betis during the last transfer window. He had a good stint with the La Liga outfit, registering nine goals and five assists from just 26 appearances.

The winger is expected to leave United permanently soon, but speaking to The Sun, Van der Sar believes the former Ajax man should play for the club next term with Alejandro Garnacho possibly leaving.

He said: “Luckily, I’m not in a position anymore to dictate at a club which kind of players have to come, but they’re on the right track by signing a more experienced striker, maybe with another one on the way.

“The two players they signed in the winter break were good, so they should be fine if they give faith to the manager. Maybe [Alejandro] Garnacho’s going to go, I would say bring Antony back, but I’m not sure if that’s realistic.”

Antony had a good career revival with Betis earlier this year. The right-sided winger scored some brilliant long-range goals, much to the frustration of United fans.

The 25-year-old signed for the Red Devils with plenty of hype, but he has failed to meet the high expectations. His future could be away from Old Trafford.

Despite his solid returns at Betis, the attacker has struggled to cope with the higher intensity and physicality of the Premier League during his time at United.

We saw another firm example in the Conference League final. Antony had an average outing and barely made an impact against Chelsea during the heavy 4-1 defeat.

United should still be optimistic of receiving a good fee after Antony’s displays in La Liga. They have set an asking price of £40 million with Atletico Madrid among his admirers.

Van der Sar’s stance on Antony does not surprise us, considering he was Ajax’s CEO between 2016 and 2023 and had a good relationship with the winger at the Amsterdam outfit.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .