Antony permitted to return to Man Utd training and made available for selection despite ongoing assault investigation

The winger was given a leave of absence by the club on September 10 after his former girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin accused him of violent behaviour and two other Brazilian women came forward with similar allegations.

Antony, who has denied all allegations against him by all three women, had remained in Brazil but returned to Manchester on Tuesday and held a five-hour meeting with police on Thursday after voluntarily attending an interview. He was free to go home at the end of the meeting with no restrictions. He also provided evidence to support his denials of the allegations.

It is understood that the fact Antony has not been arrested or charged in Brazil or the UK is a factor in him being reintegrated into the squad. However, the club will keep the situation under review for as long as police inquiries continue.

A statement from United on Friday read: “Since allegations were first made in June, Antony has cooperated 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 due to train on Friday and could face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.

Antony, who joined United from Ajax for £85 million ($104m), was first accused of violence by Cavallin in June, when the DJ filed a police complaint against him in Sao Paulo. United made no statement at the time and Antony reported for pre-season training and went on the club's tour of the United States before starting all four of the Red Devils' opening Premier League matches.

He went to join up with Brazil for their World Cup qualifiers at the start of September but was then removed from the squad after Cavallin gave an interview to Brazilian website UOL shedding more light on the accusations. She claimed that in one incident he had headbutted her and pushed her, causing the dislocation of one of her breast implants. She also said that in the summer of 2022 while in Brazil he had threatened to throw her out of a moving car, and in May 2023 he had thrown a glass at her, slicing her finger.

Businesswoman Ingrid Lana then claimed that Antony had invited her to England in September 2022 and grabbed her, pushed her against a wall, and attempted to kiss her. Another woman, Rayssa De Freitas, claimed she had lodged a complaint to Sao Paulo Civil Police in May 2022, three months before Antony signed for United, alleging she was attacked by Antony and required hospital treatment after an argument in a car following a night out in Brazil.

United are set to face criticism for bringing Antony back into the fold after a number of charities expressed their concern when the allegations first emerged, urging the club to remove the player from the squad.

The club received widespread criticism for planning to bring Mason Greenwood back into the squad after charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive and controlling behaviour against the striker were dropped. Greenwood has since joined Getafe on loan and started in their 2-2 draw at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.