Man Utd swap deal to end Antony's Old Trafford misery and gain Spurs revenge: Opinion

One of Manchester United’s biggest issues this summer will be moving on the players who Ruben Amorim has deemed surplus to requirements.

It is a lengthy list of names who the Red Devil’s boss will want to sell to not only free up some space on the wage bill but also to raise some much-needed spending money. Sporting Lisbon aren’t budging on Viktor Gyokeres with the Sweden striker said to be “furious” over a dispute about his transfer value.

Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Andre Onana will be top of the list, however, there is an opportunity to move Antony on in a deal that could suit all parties.

The Brazilian winger left Old Trafford in January for Real Betis and never looked back with the La Liga outfit hoping to secure a return for the former Ajax flyer.

Antony struggles explain why Man Utd should look to sell

The pressure of playing for United clearly got to Antony, but there could be a solution: "[Coming to Betis] changed a lot because I needed to find myself, because of everything I went through in my personal life," Antony told TNT Sports Brazil at the end of the season.

"As I said, I wanted to do things, but they didn't seem to work out because I wasn't happy, I didn't feel that desire to play football, and I needed to find myself and be happy again because playing football was always something I loved.

"I went through difficult times when I no longer felt that pleasure. I even always told my brother, I told him that I couldn't take it any more."

United paid a much-reported over-inflated transfer fee for Antony when he cost £84m. Half of that and Ajax would have sold to other clubs but somehow managed to push the price up knowing how desperate Erik ten Haag was to be reunited.

He never really settled and the price tag seemed to weight heavy on his shoulders.

Who Man Utd coud swap Antony for to solve Ruben Amorim problem

There is a budget of around £100m to spend this summer, so every little helps in terms of pushing that figure higher, regardless of the hit that they might have to take on the initial fees paid.

Amorim needs to strengthen his midfield and in Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso, could land one of La Liga’s most impressive performers last season. Not only is the 23-year old USA international as good as there is at breaking play up, when he gets the ball, he plays it forwards.

Spurs do have an option to buy Cardoso for £21m, however, Atletico Madrid are eyeing a move to and if there is one thing that Diego Simeone has consistently done is identify good midfielders.

Betis are resigned to losing Cardoso but might be tempted to get something out of it by swapping him for Antony in a move that could suit everyone. An unhappy player leaves United with Amorim acquiring the sort of player who could help to tighten up his midfield and make his team a little less porous.