A winger is returning to training with Manchester United. He will be available for selection: not against Crystal Palace on Saturday but soon. It is not Jadon Sancho but Antony, who has been on a leave of absence after three women accused him of assault. If Erik ten Hag was confronted with the question of whether he is guilty of double standards, in bringing back his own biggest buy but not a player who criticised him on social media, he emphasised the differences in his answer. “Those issues are nothing to do with each other,” he said. “One is internal, the other one is external.” Which is correct up until a point. There could also seem a simpler solution to the internal affair: should Sancho apologise to Ten Hag, perhaps he would be welcomed back into the fold. Instead, his exile seems indefinite. Meanwhile, Antony has sat out four games, will miss a fifth but could be back in contention soon afterwards, opening up the possibility of a return against either Galatasaray on Tuesday or Brentford next weekend. Ten Hag expects the Brazilian to be physically fit. The issue instead is if he is mentally ready to play. “I can’t tell at the moment; first he has to be back,” the Dutchman said. “I have spoken to him but that doesn’t give the impression how he is; how his mental status is.” Others may argue that such concerns should also be expressed for Gabriella Cavallin, his former girlfriend, and Rayssa de Freitas and Ingrid Lana, who also made serious accusations against him. In each of their club statements, United have stressed that they condemn abuse of and violence towards women. Meanwhile, Antony has repeatedly insisted he is innocent. He returned to the UK from his native Sao Paulo this week and was voluntarily interviewed by Greater Manchester Police on Thursday, just as he had spoken to their Brazilian counterparts in June. So far, he has not been arrested, bailed or charged. United have said they will review developments, meaning his situation could change. Brazil opted to withdraw Antony from their squad earlier this month in light of an interview Cavallin gave; later that week, United, who had initially merely “acknowledged” the accusations then put him on a leave of absence a few days afterwards. Now their decision would seem to be that, without him being charged and barring new revelations, their timescale will not be determined by two police forces. Neither has yet officially said that they will not bring charges; if there is the prospect that no such announcement might come from Brazil for months or years, Antony might have lingered in limbo and United been deprived of an £86m signing. There is the principle of innocent until proven guilty. It matters and would render Antony available to do many another job. But there is also the reality that playing for United is not just another job, the context of Mason Greenwood’s situation and the fact that the club explored the possibility of bringing back another forward who was not convicted of a crime but whose behaviour many felt was unpleasant in the extreme. Antony, meanwhile, was accused of trying to throw a pregnant Cavallin out of a car, of punching and headbutting her. Earlier this month, the Female Fans Against Greenwood’s Return group described the allegations against Antony as “horrific” while the television presenter and United supporter Rachel Riley criticised the club for a lack of due diligence in signing the winger after a report had been lodged with police about him. It remains to be seen what kind of reception Antony receives when he takes the field: within Old Trafford and from the wider United fanbase, inside and outside grounds. Picking him again could be a divisive move. Ten Hag has not entered the moral argument but from a footballing perspective, he seems to want to call upon Antony. Rewind a couple of months and it may have seemed that United’s three best options on the right wing would be Antony, Greenwood and Sancho. In the last four games, with none available for reasons unrelated to injury or illness, United first played without a right winger – when their lack of width was exploited by Brighton, whose left-back Tariq Lamptey got two assists – and have used the rookie Facundo Pellestri there twice, including away at Bayern Munich, and the captain Bruno Fernandes there at Burnley, where he got the winner. The assumption now must be that Antony will soon reclaim his position. Not for the first time at Old Trafford of late, United are trying to navigate their way through a moral maze. It is far from certain they have taken the right turn. Read More Man United allow Antony to resume training despite assault investigations Jadon Sancho ‘not important’ and ‘cannot contribute’ for Manchester United says manager Erik ten Hag Man Utd star Antony arrives back in UK to ‘face police over abuse allegations’

Russian grain ports are overflowing after two big harvests. That means any military escalation in the crucial Black

Police say six people including former NFL player D

By Joseph Ax Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has been crisscrossing the state ahead of November's legislative elections with

Denver coach Michael Malone doubled down on his demand that the Nuggets play with more discipline as they seek to regain the upper hand over the...

By Howard Schneider WASHINGTON Rising Treasury bond yields and home mortgage rates may reduce support at the U.S.

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 20, 2023--

Drama stirs up during June Shannon's bridal party in 'Mama June: Family Crisis' new episode

They range from babies to the elderly

Nicholas Coffey was arrested on various charges, including burglary, credit card fraud, and a probation violation as a convicted felon with a firearm

Naz Reid scored 25 points on 10-for-14 shooting in 28 minutes off the bench, sparking the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 106-90 victory in their home opener over the short-handed Miami Heat

The quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup are set as England continue their preparations for Saturday’s clash with Colombia in Sydney. After a group stage of shocks and surprises, the tournament has reached its business end with several big names still standing. The Lionesses survived a scare to defeat Nigeria on penalties as Sarina Wiegman’s side reached the last eight, and are now awaiting news from Fifa’s disciplinary panel as star forward Lauren James faces being ruled out of the rest of her tournament after her red card. The next two days are rest days for the teams left standing, with the action continuing on Friday with a blockbuster pair of matches. First Spain will play Netherlands in an all-European clash, before Sweden face Japan, who have been the standout team at the World Cup so far. It’s England’s turn on Saturday as they face Colombia, after co-hosts Australia play France on what is set to be an electric night in Brisbane. Follow all the latest news from the Women’s World Cup in our live blog, below: Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today How many games will Lauren James miss at Women’s World Cup after red card? Who and when do England play next? Lionesses route to the World Cup final