Real Betis legend jokes he will 'kidnap' Antony as Man Utd star keeps up hot form

Real Betis icon Joaquin has joked that he will help "kidnap" as he continues to thrive in Spain. The loanee has put his recent struggles behind him to rediscover his best form.

The Brazilian is regarded among the biggest flops of the modern era in the after failing to deliver on his £80million plus price tag in Manchester. Ruben Amorim and he has looked a player reborn.

Antony has regularly come up with goals and assists during his short stint with Betis and scored what proved to be the winner in the first-leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final against Fiorentina on Thursday night. The Spanish club have already expressed a desire to keep the winger.

United are only keen on seeing him leave permanently, according to reports, as they look to recoup some of their outlay. But Joaquin has underlined the affection for Antony in Betis by claiming he would go as far as kidnapping him, to make sure his stay at the club is extended.

He said: "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."

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Antony has refused to be drawn on a permanent move despite looking back to his best in Spain. He has confessed that it is "still too early to decide" on his next move with United needing to make decisions on a number of their players come the summer.

As well as Antony the Manchester outfit also allowed to head out on loan with the forward joining . He, like the Brazilian, had been unable to deliver at Old Trafford but has been a huge success at Villa Park. Amorim has confessed that he's not surprised to see his loanees doing so well.

He said recently: "I’m planning the future but I don’t want to talk about the future in this moment. I just want to focus on the game. I know Rashford really well and everybody knows the talent that he has. So I already spoke about that. He’s a top player, if he wants. So I’m not surprised and it’s the same with Antony. It’s a good thing we see our players doing well on loan in a different context. That can happen. It’s a good sign for the club."

United are set for a summer overhaul with Amorim needing to have players capable of playing his unique system. Their Premier League form has been dire, but success in the remains possible.

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