Man Utd confirm Antony is ‘available for selection’ again as he continues to co-operate with police | OneFootball

Antony in action for Manchester United against Arsenal.

Manchester United winger Antony will return to training and be available for selection as he continues to co-operate with police inquiries into allegations of violence towards women.

The Brazil international was given a leave of absence on September 10, but returned to England earlier this week and attended a voluntary interview with Greater Manchester Police on Thursday, having always strongly denied the accusations.

Man Utd have confirmed that the 23-year-old will rejoin training with a view to returning to Erik ten Hag’s side, but he will not involved in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.

A club statement read: “Since allegations were first made in June, Antony has co-operated with police inquiries in both Brazil and the UK, and he continues to do so.

“As Antony’s employer, Manchester United has decided that he will resume training at Carrington, and be available for selection, while police inquiries proceed.

“This will be kept under review pending further developments in the case.

“As a club we condemn acts of violence and abuse. We recognise the importance of safeguarding all those involved in this situation, and acknowledge the impact these allegations have on survivors of abuse.”

Antony is facing several accusations of physical aggression towards his former girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin, who spoke to Brazilian outlet UOL earlier this month.

The winger has denied those allegations, as well as further assault claims made by Rayssa de Freitas and Ingrid Lana.

He has not been arrested or charged in either Brazil or by GMP and he left the voluntary interview, where he presented evidence to support his strenuous denials, without any restrictions.

Man Utd will continue to monitor the situation while police enquiries are going on.

Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore recently likened his personal experience with the reports regarding Man Utd winger Antony.

“This is obviously a situation I can relate to,” Collymore told Caught Offside.

“Back when I was involved in a domestic abuse incident that saw me hit out at Urika Johnson, I was at Aston Villa at the time, and I was immediately recalled to the squad. I wasn’t dropped by the club. But that was a very different time and that doesn’t happen anymore; as we’ve seen recently with Mason Greenwood, and rightly so, may I add.

“It is important to note that any allegations made against Antony at this stage are exactly that; they’re allegations.

“We do not know if the winger is innocent or guilty of the crimes he has been accused of. However, once the ongoing investigation is concluded, if he is deemed to have done what he has been accused of, it is obvious Manchester United will cut ties with him.

“They wouldn’t even need to test the waters in terms of public response. Following what happened with Greenwood recently, when the club were deliberating over whether or not to reinstate him, the backlash confirmed what fans’ thoughts on the situation were, so there would be no hesitation over getting rid of Antony.”

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