Anthony Martial’s Fitness Issues: Training Alone and Contract Uncertainty
Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has been training on his own for the past month, with manager Erik ten Hag reportedly unsatisfied with his fitness. Martial has not played since the team’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth in December, initially citing illness as the reason for his absence. However, his prolonged recovery time is raising eyebrows, especially considering how quickly other United players have recovered from similar illnesses.
Ten Hag stated before the recent draw with Tottenham that Martial was not fit enough to play. According to the Daily Mail, the Frenchman is being forced to train away from the first-team as his manager does not believe he has regained sufficient fitness following his illness. It is important to note that this treatment is not believed to be disciplinary, but rather a common practice for players lacking match fitness.
Martial’s contract with Manchester United is set to expire in the summer and is not expected to be renewed. Despite scoring only 12 Premier League goals in the past three-and-a-half seasons, Martial still wants to fight for his place in the team. Ten Hag is content to keep him for now due to the lack of options at center-forward.
The club had hoped to offload Martial during the transfer window to reduce their wage bill, but there have been very few offers for the player. It remains to be seen if Martial will be deemed fit enough to play in time for Manchester United’s next game on January 28th against Newport County in the FA Cup fourth-round clash.
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