Antony explains how he almost joined Man Utd's biggest rivals | OneFootball

Antony has claimed that Liverpool had lined him up as Mohamed Salah's replacement in the summer of 2022 before he eventually joined Manchester United for £80m.

The Brazilian forward was little more than the go-to example of wasted money before he set about reigniting his career on loan at Real Betis this year. However, after helping Ajax win back-to-back top-flight titles, Antony was rated as one of the most promising right wingers in Europe two-and-a-half years ago.

Such was his lofty status that Liverpool were apparently eyeing him as an alternative to Salah at a time when the Egyptian forward's future was uncertain while locked in contract negotiations.

"It's true, I was very close to signing with Liverpool, but nobody knows what would have happened," Antony told Arabic outlet Kooora. "In the end, I went to Manchester United, I had great moments there and it was a good choice too.

"Salah is an incredible player and he has been doing extraordinary things for a long time. He is an exceptional footballer. I don't know if he is the best in the world at the moment, but he is certainly among the best and is seriously competing for the Ballon d'Or."

Antony (left) could have replaced Mohamed Salah at Liverpool / Michael Regan/GettyImages

While Salah ultimately stayed at Liverpool, Antony got his Premier League move that same summer, reuniting with his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag. After scoring in his first three Premier League appearances, the one-footed winger only registered two more top-flight goals across 59 subsequent matches. For comparison, Salah scored 56 Premier League goals over the same time period.

Antony never got a look-in under Ruben Amorim and had already fallen out of favour at United towards the end of Ten Hag's tenure. But there is no bad blood between the player and manager. "I am very grateful to Ten Hag for everything we experienced together, including the titles," Antony insisted. "In the end, I played less with him in recent times, but I prefer to remember the great moments we shared."

The 25-year-old put his remarkable uptick in form for Betis - where he has rapidly set about surpassing his modest feats for United - down to an increase in confidence. "I found myself here and that's why I'm very happy at Betis," he explained. "Every day I feel more secure."

Amorim, however, argued that the diminished physical demands of Spain's top flight compared to the Premier League has undoubtedly been a major factor.