MANCHESTER UNITED boss Erik ten Hag has revealed why Anthony Martial was missing from the matchday squad to face Crystal Palace.
The 27-year-old has been plagued with injuries this season.
He has missed 18 games this term, mostly through muscular injuries.
Martial was due to return to action for Man Utd on Saturday in the home Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.
But the winger has suffered a fresh setback and missed the game.
The latest injury blow will not be good news for Martial, who will have been hoping to impress new boss Erik ten Hag after returning from a loan spell at Sevilla last summer.
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He scored in his last appearance, opening the scoring in the 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final win over Nottingham Forest.
Manager Ten Hag has revealed the reasoning behind Martial’s absence.
The manager told MUTV ahead of kick-off: “He had a set back from the game when he returned.
“He dropped a little bit back. We have to wait, we have to be patient, not force it.”
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Martial last played 90 minutes in the Premier League on January 27, 2021, against Sheffield United.
In fact, the last time Martial played back-to-back 90 minutes games in the league was on January 12 and 17 that same year.
Martial has previously claimed that he is stuck in a “vicious circle” due to the lack of game time.
He said in the France Football interview: “I am not irreproachable.
“When people say that I lack consistency, it’s true.
“When I have my place, it often goes well, but when I’ve been used less, it is true that my performance has not been the same.
“It’s a vicious circle: I’m less efficient because I play less, and therefore I play even less.
“When it’s like that, I can sometimes drop out a bit.
“A player like Cavani, he’s at 3,000 per cent even when given few minutes.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
