Anthony Martial has endured another injury-hit campaign for Manchester United – and he’s been plagued by a fresh fitness issue since he was involved in a training ground bust-up
Anthony Martial’s time at Manchester United appeared to be all but up prior to Erik ten Hag’s arrival in the summer.
The French striker, who has been at the club since completing a blockbuster switch from Monaco back in 2015, spent the second half of last season out on loan at Sevilla after falling out of favour under interim boss Ralf Rangnick and his predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The 27-year-old struggled to make an impact during his brief stint in Spain – but that didn’t prevent Ten Hag from handing the striker a surprise reprieve shortly after taking the reins at Old Trafford. Ten Hag was eager to utilise Martial as an alternative option to Cristiano Ronaldo, however, his plans to do so have been hampered by a number of fitness issues.
Anthony Martial has struggled to make an impact for Manchester United this season ( Image: Getty Images)
After missing the opening weeks of the 2022/23 campaign, Martial scored twice in the Manchester derby before another spell on the sidelines.
After recovering from injury, Martial’s season took another twist when he was involved in a training ground bust-up with United youth player Dan Gore during the World Cup. After missing out on the France squad, Mirror Football outlined how Martial retaliated towards the teenager after he had been caught with a robust tackle.
The incident had the scope to give Ten Hag another headache after encountering numerous issues with Ronaldo throughout the season. However, Martial made peace with Gore and put the clash behind him.
Martial was involved in a training ground bust-up during the World Cup break ( Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United FC)
Unfortunately, that bust-up has been the main talking point of a pretty lacklustre campaign for Martial, whose season has continued to be plagued by injuries. He scored twice in five games before he was sidelined with a hip issue; an issue that is set to rule him out of the second leg of Manchester United’s Europa League Round of 16 clash with Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Thursday night.
Martial’s inability to make an impact at Old Trafford this season has fuelled speculation that the club could be ready to cash in on the striker in the summer.
It is believed that Ten Hag has his sights on snaring an elite No.9 in the summer, with both Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen on United’s wishlist. And with Marcus Rashford also in electric form and capable of playing centrally, Martial may find himself out of the picture.
Although Martial resumed light training ahead of United’s midweek trip to Barcelona, his return date is currently unclear. And with games running out for the forward to make an impact this season, there’s every chance that Manchester United could decide to move forward without him – just months after Ten Hag believed there was a place in his squad for the 30-cap star.
Source: mirror.co.uk
