Man Utd January loan exit named 'most significant' signing by local media after impressive start

Manchester United sent Marcus Rashford, Tyrell Malacia and Antony out on loan in January with all three players poised to leave the club permanently once the summer rolls around.

The trio joined Jadon Sancho on United’s senior loan exit list, with the former Borussia Dortmund man heading to Premier League rivals Chelsea last summer. Rashford has also stayed within the English top flight after joining Aston Villa while Malacia and Antony headed to the continent. Rashford is reportedly keen to remain at Villa for the long term and work under Unai Emery.

Malacia has joined PSV Eindhoven, who face Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday night while Antony signed for Spanish side Real Betis. The La Liga club enjoyed the win of the weekend in Spain as they defeated reigning Champions League and La Liga holders Real Madrid 2-1. Antony played the full game as he continued to impress for Betis. United are unlikely to recoup near the £86m they spent to sign him from Ajax but his displays in a Betis shirt have certainly not harmed United’s prospects of generating a reasonable price for the Brazilian.

Antony hailed by local media

Antony was initially facing being suspended for Betis’ win over Madrid after he was sent off against Getafe the previous week. However, the red card was overturned which allowed him to face Madrid. Prior to the win, Spanish outlet AS described Antony as the “most significant winter signing in La Liga” over the weekend. Antony has scored three goals in seven games for Betis and has swiftly endeared himself to supporters and teammates.

Posting on Instagram after the win over Madrid, Antony’s teammates flooded his comment section with words of support and encouragement. Antony has previously described his happiness about choosing to sign for Betis after being offered moves elsewhere while the club’s CEO has publicly hinted the Seville-based outfit could look to make the deal permanent come the summer.

How Antony was rated in Madrid win

Spanish outlet El Desmarque gave Antony a 7/10 rating for his performance against Madrid. He was criticised for “falling asleep” for the opening goal from the visitors but the outlet added: “The Brazilian reacted, improved in offensive actions and ended up giving everything he had to help his teammates.”

Estadio Deportivo also gave Antony a 7/10 as they wrote of his display: “He was not as good as in other matches, but his presence simply affects the opponents. Vertical and skilful, his best play was a perfect pass into the area that Cucho Hernández did not materialize.”

Betis Web gave Antony a lower score of 6/10 for his performance as they also pointed to his mistake for the Madrid goal but they did praise him for his mentality as he looked to make up for the error.

Meanwhile in exclusive news from Manchester World, United have been handed a huge Chido Obi blow ahead of their Real Sociedad Europa League fixture on Thursday.