Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, has confirmed that Antony could make his return in the upcoming Champions League clash against Galatasaray, despite ongoing police inquiries into allegations against him. The 23-year-old winger was granted a leave of absence by the club last month to address these allegations, which he has consistently denied.
Antony returned to the UK from Brazil recently and voluntarily cooperated with Greater Manchester Police during an interview. On Friday, Manchester United announced that he was once again available for selection. He resumed training on Saturday and could potentially feature in the upcoming match against the Turkish champions at Old Trafford, marking his return after a month-long absence since his last appearance against Arsenal.
Ten Hag stated, “Antony will be in consideration, but yesterday was his first time back in team training. We have a final training session, and then we will make a decision, but he will be in consideration, yeah.”
Antony has faced multiple allegations of physical aggression, primarily from his former girlfriend, Gabriela Cavallin, who spoke about these allegations with Brazilian outlet UOL earlier this month. Antony has not only denied these accusations but also additional assault claims made by Rayssa de Freitas and Ingrid Lana.
Regarding Antony’s return to the squad, Ten Hag emphasized that the player fully cooperated with the investigations and has not been charged with any offense.
While Antony makes his return, fellow attacker Jadon Sancho remains excluded from the first-team squad due to ongoing issues. United faces a series of injury setbacks, with key players such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, and Sergio Reguilon sidelined. Additionally, Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo have been unavailable for this season.
The team now faces the loss of crucial center-back Lisandro Martinez, who could be sidelined for up to three months due to an aggravation of a foot injury. Martinez had previously undergone surgery for a fractured metatarsal sustained in April’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Sevilla. Unfortunately, the injury resurfaced, necessitating another surgical procedure during this critical phase of the season.
United enters Tuesday’s match with an urgent need for victory, not only due to their 4-3 defeat in the Champions League opener against Bayern Munich but also following their recent 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace. This defeat at Old Trafford has intensified pressure and scrutiny on the team, overshadowing the momentum generated by back-to-back wins.
Ten Hag acknowledged the disappointment over the recent result and emphasized the importance of analyzing the game’s shortcomings while seeking solutions to address the problems.
He also addressed the struggles of Marcus Rashford, who has scored just one goal this season after a prolific campaign with 30 goals in all competitions. Ten Hag believes in Rashford’s capabilities and emphasized the need for hard work, focus, and support from the team to help him regain his scoring form.
“The facts are that he is not scoring at this moment, but also he had the opportunities,” Ten Hag stated. “If he works hard, invests every day, goes into every game with the right focus, and if the team also around him supplies him, helps him, and supports him with movement, then it will come.”
Ten Hag remains optimistic about the team’s progress, seeing positives within the challenges they face, and believes that Rashford will find his scoring touch once again.