“I met her at the hotel and we had an intimate and consensual encounter” - Manchester United winger Antony denies Ingrid Lana assault allegation

Manchester United winger Antony has released a statement, denying allegations from Ingrid Lana, the third woman to have come out with assault accusations against him. He has claimed that he met Lana once and had 'an intimate and consensual encounter'.

Lana, on the other hand, has claimed that they met for business when the Brazilian footballer tried to force himself on her.

Antony has now revealed his WhatsApp texts with Lana on his Instagram story while releasing a statement as well. The winger said that he bought her a ticket and also booked a hotel for her in England after she requested to meet him 'intimately'.

"I talked to Ingrid on WhatsApp. When she went to Portugal to attend her cousin's birthday, she asked to come here to Manchester to meet me, with a clear intention of meeting me intimately, including asking me if I preferred red or white lingerie. I bought a ticket and booked a hotel for her.

"In fact, I met her at the mentioned hotel and we had an intimate and consensual encounter. Although she insisted that we meet again for another intimate encounter, due to scheduling issues I was unable to see her again, as she returned to Brazil," Antony claimed in a statement (via The Sun).

He added that they have not met since, saying:

"Since then, I have never met her again. All of this that I narrate now is undoubtedly proven in the WhatsApp messages, which I just do not publish in full to preserve the right to privacy. However, I will make available the appropriate channels, if necessary, to prove my innocence, as well as to propose the competent reparatory action and request for investigation."

Manchester United, meanwhile, have announced that Antony will not join the squad "until further notice" as he faces multiple physical assault allegations.

Ingrid Lana claims she met Antony for business when Manchester United pushed her

Ingrid Lana, who is a banker, claimed during an interview with Brazilian TV show Domingo Espetacular that Antony pushed her after she rejected his advances for a kiss.

“He tried to have a relationship with me and I didn’t want to. He pushed me against the wall, and I hit my head,” she said (via The Guardian).

“My purpose was just business. Arriving there, at his invitation, I realized that he had ulterior motives. I have never been anyone’s lover.”

Lana, in another interview with Record TV, stated that Antony believed they were getting together for an intimate evening but soon asked for forgiveness after calming down. She is yet to file a case against the Manchester United star, but the footballer has two other cases already going on against him.