Manchester United vehemently deny covering up alleged vicious assault by Antony on ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin

Manchester United have denied accusations of covering up an assault by Brazilian winger Antony against his ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin.

In a legal request by Cavallin's lawyer Daniel Bialski to Sao Paulo Civil Police, seen by GOAL, it is claimed that United tried to «hush up» an alleged attack by Antony on Cavallin on January 15 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Manchester.

It is alleged they did so by using a player support officer to arrange for a private doctor to treat the woman, rather than her going to hospital for treatment where she would have been questioned about the attack.

A United spokesperson told GOAL: “Any suggestion that the club covered-up these allegations is categorically false.” It is also understood that the doctor who treated Cavallin at the Hyatt was not a club doctor.

A source said and that there was no indication of the medical issue being related to any form of violence. They added that arranging a doctor for partners and family members of players is a common and standard task performed by the club's player welfare team. The source reiterated that Man Utd were taking the allegations seriously and have listened and taken learnings from criticism of their handling of the Mason Greenwood case, including seeking external expert advice from Women’s Aid and the PFA.

United have also been advised to proceed cautiously on the basis that police enquiries are taking place in both Brazil and the UK, and innocence unless proven guilty remains an important principle in both jurisdictions.

The request filed by Cavallin's legal team alleges that Antony, «in one of his violent bouts of jealousy», headbutted the DJ, causing a cut on her scalp. A photo of the cut is included in the report. It is also alleged that the