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David de Gea jokes about Antony stunner in Betis win over Fiorentina – ‘He never scored a goal with his right foot’ at Manchester United
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Published 02/05/2025 at 18:53 GMT+1
Fiorentina goalkeeper David de Gea and Real Betis winger Antony were Manchester United team-mates for a year in the 2022/23 season before moving on from Old Trafford. The Brazilian beat his erstwhile colleague with a fantastic right-foot strike on Thursday evening in the UEFA Conference League, leading De Gea to joke that he had never seen him manage such a thing in training.
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Fiorentina keeper David de Gea joked that Real Betis goalscorer Antony "never scored a goal with his right foot" when the pair trained together at Manchester United.
Fiorentina and Betis met in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals in Sevilla, and Antony scored an outstanding goal with his right foot as the home side won 2-1 ahead of next Thursday’s second leg in Italy.
Antony has been on loan at Betis since joining from the Premier League lcub in January, and has six goals to his name in 19 games for the Spanish outfit.
The left-footed Brazilian has rediscovered something close to the form that earned him a move worth around £85 million from Ajax in 2022. However, the 25-year-old failed to adjust to life at Old Trafford and scored just 12 goals in 96 appearances for the Red Devils.
De Gea played alongside Antony in his final year at Old Trafford before leaving on a free transfer in 2023.
Speaking to Movistar after his side’s defeat, he joked that he had never seen the typically one-footed player score with his right at the Carrington training ground.
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"I trained with Antony 1,000 times and he never scored a goal with his right foot in any training session," De Gea said.
"I'm happy for him because he was coming from a difficult moment at United and now he's showing the best of himself."
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Antony has been linked with a permanent move to Betis given his strong recent performances, though both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have been credited with an interest in the player.
De Gea signed for Fiorentina in 2024 on a free transfer after a year away from professional football, and after a difficult end to his United career, the 34-year-old Spaniard has also impressed with his new side.
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