Brazilian outlet TNT Sports managed to have a conversation with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag on Monday morning.
With the coach confirming that Antony has now returned to the squad, journalist Fred Caldeira wanted to know a little more about his comeback.
The reporter first asked if the Manchester United winger is fit enough to be in the starting team which will face Galatasaray this week, and Ten Hag says he seems fine.
“He trained during his leave of absence in Brazil every day. We sent him over a training scheme and he did very good. He looked very fit yesterday. We’ll see today in training. So he has two days training. And he’s a very fit guy. He seems also mentally very good. So he’s really hungry to play. Passionate to play. So we’ll see and we’ll take it into consideration,” Erik ten Hag told TNT Sports.
Caldeira then asked Ten Hag what was his role in bringing Antony back to the squad, and the coach explained that a little.
“We took this case very seriously. So we gave him time against those allegations to find the right answer. We cooperated fully in Brazil. We cooperated fully in the UK after his return. So there are no charges at this moment, so he can be back. Now it’s about his physical and mental state. What we have to test, we have to judge, to see if he can come back into the squad.”
Antony started the season as regular for Manchester United, and had four starts in their four first games, but didn’t have a single goal or assist in that time.
Following the allegations of abuse, the winger missed out on the Red Devils’ last five matches, including the 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League’s opening round, as he went back to Brazil to try and address his personal issues.
