MU 'insert unique clause' in Antony loan deal as misfit departs Old Trafford

Manchester United winger Antony has had a unique "penalty clause" inserted into his loan deal at Real Betis if he does not play a certain number of games.

Betis will give the Brazilian an escape route from his nightmare spell at Old Trafford after joining the club for £85million in 2022.

The former Ajax star has not justified his eye-watering price tag, scoring just 12 goals from 96 appearances and failing to start a single Premier League game this season under either Erik ten Hag or Ruben Amorim. He will now hope to resurrect his career with La Liga side Betis, though reports from Spain have claimed United have put a unique clause into his loan deal.

According to Spanish outlet Relevo, United have agreed to let Betis pay less than 50 percent of his £200,000-a-week wages, but they must play the 24-year-old in a certain amount of games or they will have to pay a penalty fee.

This would ensure Antony gets more game time in La Liga, increasing the likelihood of him performing well, which in turn could mean United have an easier task of selling him in the summer.

It's not currently known how many games he would have to play to avoid Betis paying the penalty and there is not believed to be an option to buy in the deal.

Antony has only played in 14 of United's 33 games in all competitions and was left red-faced in the 3-1 win over basement boys Southampton last week after missing an open goal.

Despite his gilt-edge miss against the Saints, Amorim said he performed well and insisted he did not want to lose any players in the January transfer window.

"Like I said, I want to keep my players, I'm focused on these players. I don't know what is going to happen this window, we'll see. But he did a good job [vs Southampton]."

Antony is approaching 100 games for United after playing 96 matches so far. He featured heavily in this first season of 2022-23 under Erik ten Hag, picking up 44 appearances in all competitions but his game time has decreased with ever season since.