Antony could return to play for Manchester United – 10/02/2023 – Sport

Striker Antony could return to play for Manchester United in the Champions League clash against Galatasaray, this Tuesday (3), coach Erik ten Hag said this Monday (2).

He has not played for the English club since September, when more details about the allegations made by Gabriela Cavallin, 22, were made public. The ex-girlfriend accuses the 23-year-old athlete of threats and physical and psychological aggression. The case is investigated by the police, and the Brazilian denies the crimes.

Last week, the Premier League club confirmed that Antony would return to training.

“Antony will be considered. Yesterday was the first time he returned to training with the team. We will have the last training session and then we will make a decision,” Ten Hag told reporters ahead of the home game against Turkish champions Galatasaray.

“He will be considered, yes… He cooperated fully and it was clear that he was not charged.”

The player remained in Brazil after being released by United on September 10. He returned to England at the beginning of the week and was questioned by Manchester police on Thursday (28), but was not charged, according to the British press.

The investigation of which he is the target was revealed in June 2023. At the beginning of September, when images of his alleged attacks against his ex-girlfriend became public, the player ended up being recalled from the Brazilian team — he would be part of the group that played in the first games of the Qualifiers—and, shortly afterwards, he was removed by Manchester United.

Information also emerged that two more women accused the athlete of assault. Only the case involving Gabriela Cavallin, however, is being investigated by the police in Brazil and England.

Martinez will undergo surgery

Ten Hag also confirmed that Argentine Lisandro Martinez will have to undergo surgery due to a foot injury. The United defender will be out of action for an extended period after aggravating an injury suffered in April.

United take to the field against Galatasaray following their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday, which left them 10th in the Premier League standings.

It was the team’s fourth league defeat this season, making this their worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1989–90.

Despite United’s recent struggles, Ten Hag said his team is “moving forward”, adding: “You need to make adjustments. We don’t have a left-back. There are deficiencies in our game.

“Lots of positives, but at the end of the day it’s about results and we didn’t get it.”

United are bottom of Champions League Group A after a 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich in their first match last month, but defender Raphael Varane said they have the quality to win the Champions League .

“You need to be efficient to win trophies. We have the quality in the squad to win competitions. We have to move forward and improve,” Varane told reporters.

“The competition is difficult, you need to take care of every detail, but we have a quality team, with a good mentality.

“We have to make some improvements, it wasn’t the start to the season we expected, but I still believe we have the quality to compete with the best teams in the world.”

(With AFP)