Manchester United received a timely boost with Anthony Martial’s return to training as the forward has little hope of making France’s World Cup squad after six games.
Anthony Martial has been out the club’s last six games with a back problem
Timely boost for Manchester United in the final push before the season break for Qatar
Erik ten Hag had said that he was not sure if he would play again before the break.
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Anthony Martial gave Manchester United a boost when he returned to first-team training at Carrington on Monday.
United boss Erik ten Hag admitted last week he was unsure if Martial would return to action before the World Cup after missing the last six games with a back injury.
But the Frenchman met his teammates yesterday in training with four games to go before the start of the tournament.
Anthony Martial has returned to Manchester United training in a timely pre-World Cup boost
Martial has revived his United career under Ten Hag following a loan spell at Sevilla last season, but has only made four appearances after suffering three separate injuries since the Dutchman took over. The 26-year-old injured a hamstring in a pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid and then hurt his back at Everton last month less than half an hour after returning from an Achilles problem. .
Although Martial has not given up hope of helping France defend the World Cup in Qatar, his former United teammate Paul Pogba has been ruled out of the tournament with a thigh injury.
Pogba suffered his latest setback while recovering from knee surgery and has yet to play a competitive game for Juventus since rejoining the Italian club as a free agent in the summer.
The United striker last featured for the club in a 2-1 win over Everton in early October.
United on Monday announced plans for a week-long training camp in Spain and a friendly against Cadiz on December 7 as part of its preparations to restart the season after the World Cup.
A second friendly will be confirmed soon and Ten Hag said: ‘It’s a strange season. It is not usual, as we have a World Cup, but also the players will be left behind. We have to train them for those six weeks and we have to give them the right program to keep them at the right fitness levels.”
Meanwhile, former United defender Gary Neville has resigned as chief executive of Salford City, handing the reins over to his old team-mate Nicky Butt. Neville, who will remain part-owner of the League Two side, said: “As the club has developed at such a rate, it needs someone who can focus on it and be there every day.
Marcial, however, was withdrawn by Cristiano Ronaldo after suffering a back injury.