Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag cannot rely on injured Anthony Martial in the approaching FA Cup final against Manchester City. The French striker is again struggling with an injury.
Big setback for Ten Hag in the run-up to FA Cup final
United confirmed via official channels on Tuesday that Martial suffered a hamstring injury in the Premier League game against Fulham and is therefore not available for next Saturday’s final.
That is a major setback for Ten Hag, who has highlighted Martial several times this season as an important pawn. Thanks to his flawless technique, Martial is of value to United as a starting point in the combination, and he also has the agility to move out of the striker and force opponents to make choices.
“Anthony is a great player. He has the qualities to play at the top. We play better as a team with him on the field,” said Ten Hag in April. With nine goals in 29 matches this season, Martial also provides United with the necessary scoring ability.
The Frenchman’s big problem, however, is his fitness. Martial missed more games this season (32) than he played (29). The striker has already struggled with injuries to his Achilles tendon, back, hip and now hamstring again this season.
Martial’s absence could result in a basic place for Wout Weghorst on Saturday. Ten Hag can also opt for Marcus Rashford as number 9 and Jadon Sancho or Alejandro Garnacho on the left.
Erik ten Hag does not like to think back to his early days at Manchester United. The Dutch coach started the Premier League season with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, followed by a 4-0 loss away at Brentford. Ten Hag took this personally.
Ten Hag looks back on Man Utd’s start to the season: “I hated myself”
In a major interview with The Times, Ten Hag looked back on those first games of the season. The dramatic start hit the coach hard. He revealed, “I hated myself. It is my responsibility to bring my demands and mentality to the team. 4-0 down with halftime, come on! What are you doing?”
Ten Hag seized the painful defeat to bring more discipline to the team. Initially, his players had a planned day off, but Ten Hag still allowed his players to come to the club. There he demanded that the squad run 13.6 kilometers, the distance the Brentford players ran more than they did. But Ten Hag himself also participated on that sweltering day.
“Yes, I am responsible. I hate managers who say “I won” when they win and “The players lost” when they lose. No! We win together and we lose together. If you have a sense of pride then you can’t play like we did against Brentford,” he added.
That Manchester United slipped against Brentford didn’t really matter to him, but he was mainly concerned with the way. “I can accept that you lose a game, especially in the beginning. Players have to get used to the way of playing, the new manager, the new coaching staff. So defeat can happen, but not like this. We are paid to perform. We even get paid very well and then you expect even more. It was totally unacceptable the way we played,” he concluded.
