Antony claims nobody at Man Utd would even say good morning: A lack of respect

ANTONY has claimed he was treated with a lack of respect during his Manchester United exile.

The winger was part of United's bomb squad following his return from his loan spell at Real Betis, who he eventually joined on a permanent basis in the summer in a deal worth an initial £21.5million

He was made to wait for the move as the Red Devils lowered their asking price in the final days of the window, which meant he was in exile for weeks.

Antony feels he was disrespected during that period, claiming nobody would even say good morning to him.

He told ESPN Brazil: "Look, I'm not the kind of guy who gets involved in controversies, who names people, in fact, I won't mention anyone's name here.

"But I think there was a bit of a lack of respect there, even a bit of rudeness too, with no one giving you a good morning, a good afternoon.

"Not even that. But, anyway, that's in the past, I won't give much importance to these things. Now I'm here, at Betis, I'm living here, that's the most important thing for me."

Asked why his three years at United after his £85m move from Ajax did not work out, Antony said: "I am a man who accepts my responsibilities.

"I think off-field matters affected me a lot, in my performance. I know my potential, I know my qualities, I didn't play in a World Cup for nothing, I didn't return to the national team for nothing.

"I also take responsibility for it not working out, for not performing as I wanted. But I always try to see the bright side of things, going through this entire process, this time at United, was necessary to see myself."

Antony's attitude during his Old Trafford stint has also been questioned, with claims he was rude to canteen staff.

The Brazilian also revealed how he spent more than 40 days in a £175-night airport hotel as he waited for his exit from the club.

He said previously: "They were very tough months in England, more than 40 days in the hotel, training separately…

"I feel like they disrespected me, but that’s not the point. I don’t want to create controversy, that’s life.

"I’m very grateful for the club. There were bad times, but also good times, with two titles.

"My family travelled to Seville four or five days before the deal was finalised. I had the house rented. I already spoke to them, my heart was telling me to return to Betis."

Antony impressed under ex-Man City and West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini.

He scored nine times and assisted five goals in just 26 appearances during his loan.