“I’ll provide the car if he has to be kidnapped” - Spain legend makes hilarious claim about blocking Antony’s return to Manchester United

Real Betis legend Joaquin has urged the club to do everything possible to keep hold of Manchester United's Antony. The Brazilian forward left the Red Devils in January this year to join the Spanish side on a six-month loan deal, and has been a revelation at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Antony initially arrived at Old Trafford from Ajax for a reported £86m fee in 2022. However, the 25-year-old struggled to live up to that price tag and dropped down the pecking order following Ruben Amorim's arrival last November.

Manchester United opted to send him out on loan to Spain this winter. Antony has hit the ground running with Betis, registering six goals and four assists from 19 games across competitions this season.

The Brazilian was on song against Fiorentina on Thursday in the Conference League semifinal first leg, scoring a goal to help Betis secure a 2-1 win. The Red Devils will now be hoping that Antony's golden run can help ignite a bidding war for his services this summer.

Speaking recently, as cited by The Sun, Joaquin insisted that his former side must do everything possible to keep hold of the player.

"I'll provide the car if he has to be kidnapped, but let him stay no matter what. This is the moment to enjoy. I think important moments will come, and we'll see later," said Joaquin.

Manchester United have apparently rejected a €25m season-long loan offer from Real Betis for Antony, as they prefer to offload him permanently.

Are Manchester United eyeing a Bundesliga ace?

Manchester United are interested in taking Jonathan Tah to Old Trafford this summer, according to Sky Sports News. The German defender's contract with Bayer Leverkusen expires in a couple of months and he has already decided that he will leave.

The Red Devils are planning for defensive reinforcements this summer and are apparently enticed by the prospect of signing Tah for free. The 29-year-old has been a revelation for the reigning Bundesliga champions and could be a good fit in Ruben Amorim's back three.

With Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof out of contract this summer, and Harry Maguire on the wrong side of 30, a move for Tah makes sense. Manchester United are also under financial distress, so the chance to sign the 29-year-old for free could be too good to turn down. However, Tah is also wanted by Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid.

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Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee