Manchester United don’t play until Monday night but Erik ten Hag is putting players through their paces at Carrington – including Anthony Martial.
United’s last three games have been baffling to say the very least.
A cup semi-final win is usually cause for celebration but United throwing away a 3-0 lead against Coventry City and having to come through on penalties left a cloud over the win.
United then had two come from behind – twice – to beat bottom club Sheffield United at Old Trafford in another unconvincing display.
Saturday saw United stumble to a 1-1 draw against Burnley, meaning Erik ten Hag’s side put in three mixed performances against clubs likely to be in the Championship together next season.
Ten Hag continues to fight for his job and is now looking ahead to Monday’s trip to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Palace have been in great form of late so United will need to be right at it in South London – and a face we haven’t seen for a while could be in contention.
Anthony Martial in training
December 9th, 2023.
United were demolished 3-0 at home by Bournemouth in a truly terrible afternoon at a rather wet and miserable Old Trafford.
That was also the last time we saw Anthony Martial in action.
The Frenchman started the game but went off before the hour mark and hasn’t been seen again since.
Martial underwent groin surgery in January and has been rehabilitating ahead of a Premier League return.
Sky Sports have now shown footage of Martial back in training at Carrington ahead of the trip to face Palace on Monday.
Ten Hag expected Martial to be in full team training this week and he has now made an appearance.
Featuring on Monday may be a big ask but strong displays in training could put him in Ten Hag’s plans.
We may well see Martial in action for United before the season ends and the expectation is that he will be leaving this summer.
Martial is out of contract at the end of the season and the time has surely come for him to move on.
Inter Milan are understood to be interested in signing Martial and these final weeks of the campaign could be a goodbye for Martial, nine years since his arrival.
| Injury type | Projected return | |
| Raphael Varane | Muscular injury | Late May |
| Mason Mount | Unknown | Unknown |
| Victor Lindelof | Hamstring injury | Late May |
| Luke Shaw | Thigh injury | Late May |
| Harry Maguire | Muscle injury | Late May |
| Anthony Martial | Groin injury | Late May |
| Tyrell Malacia | Knee injury | Unknown |
Jonny Evans returns too
The Sky footage also showed defender Jonny Evans in action too.
Evans hasn’t featured at all since playing just 21 minutes as a substitute in the 4-3 defeat at Chelsea in April.
The 36-year-old has featured in 19 Premier League games this season and is actually in the same boat as Martial contract-wise.
Evans becomes a free agent this summer but he has fared well when given a chance to shine this season.
The veteran defender will hope to have done enough to earn a new deal at Old Trafford and his return from injury boosts his chances in that regard.
Whether either Evans or Martial are included at Palace remains to be seen, but their returns to training are a welcome boost for Ten Hag.