Antony denies assault allegations, not concerned about Man United future

Antony said he's eager to prove his innocence after he was dropped by the Brazil national team earlier this week amid assault allegations.

Speaking publicly for the first time since his former girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin's assault claims sparked a police investigation in Brazil, the tearful Manchester United winger said he "never touched" her, or other women who have since come forward saying they were attacked by him.

"Negative. Negative," he said in an interview with Brazilian TV show Fofocalizando, as translated by The Telegraph's James Ducker. "I am 100% sure that I have never touched a woman. And I will come with the proof. People will see the truth.

"I have never attacked and I never will attack. I'm sure I never committed physical violence. Verbal violence … I offended her (Cavallin) and she offended me too. It was on both sides. Physical violence, never.

"What I want most is to show the people that this is who I am. I want to achieve many things. I have many goals and many dreams. I want to show who I really am. I dream of returning to the national team and I want to show that Antony is innocent of all this."

Antony was dropped from the Brazil national team Monday after Cavallin said he attacked her three times and threatened to kill her between June 2022 and May 2023. Sao Paulo Civil Police launched an investigation after Cavallin filed a report in June.

Manchester United issued a statement Wednesday saying they're taking the domestic abuse allegations against Antony "seriously." The club didn't say whether the 23-year-old would be available for selection after the international break.

When asked if he was worried about the Premier League side terminating his contract, Antony said: "It's something that doesn’t cross my mind. I know the truth and it will come out. I know that many are massacring me, but the truth always comes out. United is on top of the investigation, everything. They are following and will continue to follow."

Antony refuted claims that he headbutted and punched Cavallin during an altercation in a Manchester hotel room after United beat city rivals Manchester City in January. She was later treated for injuries to her head and a damaged breast implant.

"Negative. I never touched her," he said. "I'll never headbutt someone."

He claimed that Cavallin became angry when he needed to leave the hotel room, saying that an argument ensued after he tried to attend "appointments."

Antony added: "... She grabbed my face and said: 'Look at me!' She did so and put her hand on my face. I went to the bathroom, stayed there for a while, stayed there for about five minutes, then came out and said: 'I need to leave'.

"She (stopped) at the door and said: 'You're not going', and she didn’t let me. I tried to leave and she wouldn’t let me.

"Then she broke glasses and plates. She threw it on the ground and threw it towards me too. She came on top of me. At that moment, I held her. At no point did I get to press it.

"I didn't headbutt her. When she sent me the photo (of a bleeding head), I had already left, I was already home. I was at the hotel with her before and she wasn't hurt. I do not know what happened. We were there, I held her and calmed her, after a while she calmed down. We talked and I went home because I had other commitments with my work."

On Thursday, two other women, Ingrid Lana and Rayssa de Freitas, accused Antony of attacking them in the past. Freitas submitted a complaint to Brazilian police on May 20, 2022, saying Antony injured her during an assault, while Lana said she was attacked while on a business trip to England after she refused to have sex with him.