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Brazil drop Man Utd's Antony after abuse claims

Antony: Brazil drop Manchester United winger after abuse allegations

Brazil have dropped Manchester United winger Antony following allegations of abuse by his former girlfriend.

The Brazilian football federation said the 23-year-old had been withdrawn from the squad after "facts became public" that "need to be investigated".

Brazilian news outlet UOL published allegations made by Antony's ex-partner on Monday.

Police in Sao Paulo and Greater Manchester are investigating the claims, which the player has denied.

"I can calmly state that the accusations are false and that the evidence already produced and the other evidence that will be produced demonstrate that I am innocent of the accusations made," Antony said on social media.

"I trust that the ongoing police investigations will demonstrate the truth about my innocence."

Antony is accused of attacking his former girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin "with a headbutt" in a Manchester hotel room on 15 January, leaving her with a cut head which needed treatment from a doctor.

She also alleges she was punched in the chest, causing damage to a silicone breast implant, which required corrective surgery.

Antony added in his statement on Monday that his relationship with his former partner was "tumultuous", but insisted he "never committed any physical aggression".

He also released a statement in June saying he had been falsely accused by his former girlfriend of domestic violence.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it is "aware of the allegations made and enquiries remain ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding this report".

It added: "We will not be commenting any further at this time."

Manchester United said they had no comment on the matter at present when contacted by BBC Sport.

The allegations come after the Premier League club announced last month that forward Mason Greenwood would leave by mutual agreement following a six-month internal investigation.

Charges against Greenwood, including rape and assault, were dropped in February. The 21-year-old joined Spanish side Getafe on loan last week.

Antony has been replaced in the Brazil squad by Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru.

Ten Hag 'doesn't worry about upsetting his big stars'

ESPN senior writer Mark Ogden, says Jadon Sancho's not "giving himself the best chance" of kicking on in his career because of his reportedly poor timekeeping and effort in training.

Speaking on the Football Daily podcast, Ogden said: "During Sunday’s game, I spoke to one of the club’s press people during the first half and asked where Sancho is and he said the manager will address it after the game.

"So it was a plan and not a case of Erik ten Hag being caught out in the press conference. The answer was ready to come.

"In terms of isolated incidents, I don’t think it’s that. I’ve been told it’s because he’s not a great trainer and we’ve seen in the past with England that he’s got timekeeping issues.

"There’s an argument that Manchester United really tried to get him back on track with these issues, as they sent him to Holland last year and tried to look after him. But he’s come back and he’s not kicked on. If you don’t train well then you don’t play, so he’s not giving himself the best chance.

"As Ten Hag showed last year when he took on Ronaldo and Rashford, he doesn't worry about upsetting his big stars."

BBC football pundit Chris Sutton, believes that both Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho are in the wrong over their dispute and have "opened up a can of worms."

Speaking on the Football Daily podcast, Sutton said: "How is this going to end?

"Ten Hag had two choices, to call him out or not call him out.

"Sancho may have felt he could have worked his way back into the manager's thinking but doing this opens up a massive can of worms.

"Manchester United haven’t got started this season and I just wonder whether Ten Hag has kicked off at Sancho after the game because he’s feeling the pressure a little bit.

"But it was the wrong thing to do. I think he should have thought about this more carefully because every action has a consequence. It’s not a good look for Manchester United.

"For what it’s worth, I think it’s absolutely wrong for Sancho to respond that way in public. If he’s got a problem then go and bang on the manager's door and have a private conversation. That’s the best way to deal with it.

"I’ve played for managers like Kenny Dalglish and they would slaughter players in the confines of the dressing room, but then they would go out to the media and back their players. It’s an important part of being a manager.

"I think Ten Hag has stuffed Sancho there."

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Brazil drop Man Utd's Antony after abuse claims

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