Antony may make a return to Manchester United’s line-up for the upcoming Champions League game against Galatasaray, as confirmed by the manager, Erik ten Hag.
The forward from Brazil has been absent from the club’s roster since last month when he was accused of domestic abuse. His last game was on September 3, in a loss against Arsenal.
Antony has vehemently denied all allegations made against him and has recently returned to the UK after a period of leave to address the accusations.
To date, there have been no arrests or charges against the 23-year-old in either the UK or Brazil.
Nonetheless, Manchester United has faced significant pressure to address the situation with Antony, especially given the criticism surrounding their management of the issues with Mason Greenwood.
Manchester United, after securing a top-four spot and winning the Carabao Cup last season, have had a rocky start this season, facing defeat in four of their first seven Premier League games.
The team is currently in 10th place in the Premier League and is at the bottom of their Champions League group, following a loss to Bayern Munich last month.
In the pre-game press conference for the Galatasaray game, Ten Hag disclosed that Antony, having resumed first-team training, might be included in the squad. “Antony will be in consideration, but [Sunday] was his first time back at team training. We have final training [to come] and then we make a decision, but he will be in consideration,” he stated.
Ten Hag, when questioned about his choice to possibly include Antony despite the ongoing allegations, noted, “He co-operated fully. It came out that he is not charged, so…”
Antony, who became a part of Manchester United in 2022 after an £86 million deal with Ajax, asserted his innocence in a statement on September 10. “I want to reiterate my innocence of the things I have been accused of, and I will fully cooperate with the police to help them reach the truth,” he declared.
