Anthony Martial will not feature in Saturday’s clash with Manchester City in the FA Cup final after picking up a hamstring injury.
The FA Cup final – which is an unprecedented final – will be Manchester United’s final game for the 22/23 campaign.
Recall we reported that United ace Antony might miss the final as he was injured in the Chelsea clash which United won 4-1.
While Antony’s fitness level has not been confirmed, Anthony Martial is not going to feature for the match against their City rivals at Wembley.
Martial came off the bench to play in the last 23 minutes of the Premier League match which the Red Devils won 2-1.
That was part of Erik Ten Hag’s plan to ensure the attacker was in full form ahead of the FA Cup final against Pep Guardiola’s men.
This means that Ten Hag’s plans have been thrown into chaos as the Frenchman is injured and it looks like Weghorst will be in the starting lineup.
Anthony Martial had scored 9 goals in all competition for United this season after his start of the season was marred by injuries.
The former Monaco man is fighting for his place in United’s line-up as manager Ten Hag is looking for an attacker in the summer.
This hamstring problem is Martial’s 6th injury issues this season and the 27-year-old absence has caused a lot of line up headaches for the coach.
Ten Hag was also thought to have lined Martial up as one of his first-choice attackers during pre-season but his plans were dashed as Martial missed United’s first six Premier League games due to an injury.
Manchester United confirmed the news that the Frenchman had been ruled out of the Wembley Showpiece in a club statement on Tuesday.
The statement read: “Anthony Martial is out of Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup final against Manchester City due to injury.”
“The France international strained his hamstring towards the end of Sunday’s 2-1 win against Fulham at Old Trafford. Assessments have since revealed a muscle tear that rules the 27-year-old out of the Wembley showdown.”
Ten Hag praised the strength of his squad, revealing that United would make use of their full squad depth.
ETH as he is fondly called also insisted that United has a chance to beat their in-form rivals on Saturday at Wembley.
“We have more than a starting XI of players. We have played so may games this season so you can’t speak about a starting XI. When we pick the team, we look to what our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses are. To finish third is a massive achievement with all the games we had to play,” Ten Hag stated.
“We played Thursday across the whole season because we play on Thursday in Europe. We don’t always find an ideal schedule, it was often a disadvantage compared to the other team, but we dealt with it and it is why I am very happy we are third in this tough league, behind Manchester City and Arsenal.”
“I think you have always a chance in football. History shows we beat them in January. Man United, the last couple of years, beat City many times. These players know when they play at their levels they can compete.”
“It’s obvious. We play at this moment the best team, but still there is a chance and we have to go for the chance. We have to give everything and after the game we can’t have excuses for ourselves.”
Anthony Martial
Anthony Jordan Martial is a French footballer who was born on 5 December, 1995 and plays as a forward for Manchester United and the France national team.
Martial signed for Manchester United on 1st September 2015 for £36 million, on a four-year contract with the option of another year.
The money paid then was the highest transfer fee paid for a teenager, breaking the previous record of £27 million that United had paid for Luke Shaw a year earlier, and that Paris Saint-Germain had paid for Marquinhos in 2013.
Ever since arriving at Manchester United, Martial had barely done enough to guarantee himself a confirmed spot in the starting line up at the club. This is coupled with the fact that his Manchester United career has been marred seriously by several injuries in the past which has docked his performance.
