Antony celebrates with Real Betis team-mate after Man Utd flop's red card is overturned

Antony couldn’t hide his happiness as he found out that his red card against Getafe had been overturned with the Man Utd flop now able to continue his good form at Real Betis against Real Madrid

A joyous Antony celebrated the moment he learned his red card had been overturned with the Man Utd flop now free to face Real Madrid.

The Brazilian joined Real Betis on loan until the end of the season as the 25-year-old was handed the chance to salvage his career after being a major disappointment at Old Trafford since making an £81.3million move in 2022.

Antony has grabbed that chance with both hands early in his spell at Betis, with the winger scoring three times and registering two assists in his first six games.

However, his promising form appeared to have been abruptly ended after he was shown a straight red card in the 2-1 win against Getafe. Antony made a needless, cynical late sliding challenge in injury time and looked set to miss the home game against Real Madrid on Saturday.

But the Brazilian could now feature after Betis successfully appealed the red card, arguing the tackle was reckless but didn’t endanger the safety of the player nor was serious foul play.

Antony’s reaction to learning of his overturned ban from manager Manuel Pellegrini and first-team coach Alexis Trujillo was captured by Real Betis’ social media team. Antony immediately hugged Trujillo and shook hands with other coaches and team-mates before sharing a joke with Pellegrini.

After being told he was free to face Los Blancos, Antony vowed to make sure the effort was worth it, he said: "I was always hoping. I'm very happy, very happy.

"I'm ready for Saturday's game. I was just leaving training and someone from the staff told me and everyone is very happy now. I have to be focused. We know what we're playing for in front of our fans."

Antony’s team-mates also gave a supporting reaction, with ex-Real Madrid playmaker Isco saying: "Have they taken it off? Thank goodness."

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian joked: "Don't throw yourself on the ground like that again or I'll kill you."