Anthony Martial must’ve been eager to impress Erik ten Hag on Friday, as Manchester United’s out-of-sorts striker turned up to training three hours early ahead of this weekend’s clash with Brighton
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Anthony Martial turned up for Manchester United training three hours early yesterday - then made a sheepish exit after realising his embarrassing gaffe.
The United striker drove through the gates of the club’s Carrington training base at 8.56am, only to drive straight back out five minutes later after learning of his blunder. United boss Erik ten Hag had switched training to the afternoon, but Martial clearly misread the timings or was not aware of the change, as he turned up expecting a morning session.
After leaving the training ground, Martial returned just before midday with the rest of the United squad for the afternoon session, ahead of Saturday’s visit of Brighton to Old Trafford. Martial could have stayed at United’s training ground and used the spare hours to improve his scoring technique, with the 27-year-old having managed just four goals in his last 18 league games.
Martial now has extra competition at striker, having been replaced during his last appearance away to Arsenal by £72million signing Rasmus Hojlund. The Danish wonderkid, 20, is viewed as the long-term solution to Ten Hag’s striking woes and made a positive impression at the Emirates, despite United suffering a bruising 3-1 defeat.
“I think he [Rasmus] played very good,” Ten Hag declared to MUTV following the game. “But also I think Anthony Martial’s was a very good performance, so I was pleased and definitely I think Rasmus Hojlund had [a] very good impact on the game.”
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Anthony Martial was replaced by Rasmus Hojlund last time out (
Image:
GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
There were suggestions during the early weeks of the summer transfer window that United would be open to selling Martial if they received a substantial offer. Given his lack of options up front, though, Ten Hag elected to keep him at Old Trafford, hoping for a clean bill of health this term.
“We need a good squad and Anthony Martial is a brilliant football player, so he will help us,” Ten Hag told a press conference in pre-season. “He scored goals and also in other areas of football like pressing, in possession, combinations, he’s a great player and, yeah, let’s hope he will be fit and he stays fit.”
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There are, however, those who doubt Martial’s capacity to turn things around. In April, following United’s Europa League quarter-final loss to Sevilla, club legend Paul Scholes claimed that the Frenchman “doesn’t have the heart” to succeed.
“Anthony Martial’s a talented lad but I think when the going gets tough when he’s really got to dig in,” Scholes told BT Sport. “He doesn’t quite have the heart for it.”
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