Antony has insisted it is “too early” to make a decision on his future with Manchester United as he continues to enjoy his loan with Real Betis.

There is no purchase clause in the Spanish side’s agreement but Betis have openly admitted their interest in making the transfer permanent, with sporting director Manu Fajardo recently suggesting qualifying for the Champions League may be the key to retaining Antony next season.

Betis teammate Isco declined to leave things up to fate and joked that fans should pull together to raise the money to ensure Betis can keep hold of Antony, who has four goals and as many assists in 12 appearances since landing in Spain during the January transfer window.

“We need to crowdfund so he can stay at least another year,” Isco said. “I’m happy to be able to enjoy Antony. He has surprised us all with his humility and with his willingness to help and add. We have noticed a change since he arrived. We are happy for him and for the team.”

Antony, despite having paraded a Betis flag around the pitch following the recent 2-1 win over Sevilla, kept his cards closer to his chest when asked what his future held.

“I’m very happy here, but it’s still too early to decide,” he said. “I enjoy every day in the Betis shirt. I identify a lot with the fans because of the feeling; we Brazilians are like that too.”

United are hopeful of selling Antony this summer for a fee of around £40m, but a return to Old Trafford remains a possibility and head coach Ruben Amorim recently confessed he was happy to see the Brazilian dazzling away from Manchester.

Betis are likely to pursue another loan deal, having initially wanted Antony on an 18-month agreement, and could include a permanent transfer clause if they manage to seal a spot in the Champions League.

With nine games left to play, Betis find themselves sixth in the La Liga standings, six points adrift of the top four but behind fifth-placed Villarreal only on goal difference.