Striker Anthony Martial was asked by coach Erik ten Hag to practice on his own to improve his physical fitness before he can play for MU.
Daily Mail said that Martial has not trained with his teammates since being sick last month. This has made the French striker unable to play since MU’s 0-3 loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on December 9 last year.
Ten Hag himself revealed very little when asked about Martial in recent weeks, only saying that the 28-year-old player was not physically fit before MU’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham a week ago. However, the reality is that Martial is not injured but has still not regained full fitness after his illness last month.
Ten Hag’s decision to let Martial train on his own is not a matter of discipline, but instead shows the strategist’s belief in the individual training of players lacking match fitness. Martial is currently assessed as not being physically fit to work with the MU first team, due to the high intensity and speed that Ten Hag strictly requires during training.
Last month, a few MU players also fell ill. Marcus Rashford missed the Red Devils’ final match in the Champions League group stage against Bayern due to viral fever. However, he returned a few days later, appearing in a goalless draw with Liverpool.
Individual training for players returning from injury is standard practice at MU, but the fact that it took Martial so long to regain his fitness surprised many people. In general, poor physical fitness is something that has existed for a long time with Martial, not just now. He rarely plays the full 90 minutes for MU if he is assigned to start from the beginning.
Martial’s contract with MU will expire at the end of this season, and there is a high possibility of leaving for free. The Red Devils are ready to listen to any offer for Martial currently, because if the former Monaco star can be pushed to leave Old Trafford, the club will be able to cut his salary of £250,000/week.
Martial has been unable to reach his full potential since becoming the Premier League’s most expensive teenager nine years ago. After 317 appearances for MU, Martial has scored 90 goals and 55 assists.