Manchester United have confirmed that forward Antony will return to the club after a leave of absence for 19 days.
The Brazilian has flown back to Manchester United and will resume training with the first team.
The inquiry is still ongoing but the club have said that his case will be “kept under review” while he is back available for selection.
He was sent on a leave of absence by the club in the second week of September after allegations of domestic violence against him surfaced.
The club took action and gave him an indefinite leave of absence as the noise around the matter reached fever pitch.
Below is the club statement in full:
“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.”
Now, the club statement has said that the player has been cooperating with the authorities, both in the UK and Brazil and will “continue to do so”.
The case has now reportedly been taken over by the Manchester Police and the complainant and the player will both be questioned by the forces.
Out of the multiple allegations against the player, one has already been dropped and further inquiries into the other cases will make the picture clearer.
In the meantime, from a purely footballing point-of-view, this will come as a boost to Erik ten Hag because Antony is the undisputed first-choice on the right wing.
In his absence, the likes of Facundo Pellistri have been a gamely option but the manager is likely to bring the Brazilian straight back into the fold.
United’s next game is a Premier League fixture at home to Crystal Palace on September 30 and Antony could be on the bench as he builds up his match fitness again.Â