Unfit Man Utd forced to train on his own by Ten Hag in reported Jadon Sancho repeat
Manchester United duo Alejandro Garnacho and Anthony Martial
Erik ten Hag is reportedly making a top Manchester United star train on his own after being unhappy with the player’s fitness levels.
Anthony Martial has played for the Red Devils since the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth back in December, with illness initially given as the reason behind his absence.
Ahead of the 2-2 draw with Tottenham last weekend, Ten Hag revealed that the Frenchman was simply not fit enough to feature in the game.
And now the Daily Mail has revealed that Martial is being forced to train away from the first team as United boss Ten Hag does not believe he has regained sufficient fitness following his illness.
It’s only right to point out that it’s not uncommon for players to train alone when they are building up their fitness, and there are no reports that Ten Hag is punishing Martial in any way as fears of another Jadon Sancho situation grow.
However, it’s reported that the sheer length of time it is taking for the 28-year-old to get back into shape is raising some eyebrows, especially given that United are open to selling the player this month.
Martial’s current contract is up in the summer and is not expected to be renewed, meaning that his nine-year stay at Old Trafford is now drawing to a close.
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Martial still fighting for his place
But despite the fact he has only notched 12 Premier League goals in coming up for four seasons, it’s thought that the player is still keen to stay and fight for his place.
Ten Hag is also content to keep him for now as back-up to Rasmus Hojlund, but he needs Martial to get up to speed sooner rather than later.
United had been looking to get the former Monaco man off their wage bill in January but had very few offers for his services so far.
At this stage, it remains to be seen whether Martial could have a part to play in the FA Cup fourth-round trip to Newport County on January 28.
Much depends on whether he can regain his fitness levels over the next days or so.
