Anthony Martial was asked to train on his own to improve his fitness before Erik Ten Hag considered selecting him for Manchester United.
Mail Sport has learned that Martial has not trained with his teammates since catching a virus last month, which has kept the Frenchman out of action since United’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on 9 December.
Ten Hag has not given much information on Martial in recent weeks, only saying that he was not fit before the 2-2 draw against Tottenham last weekend. It is understood the 28-year-old is not currently suffering from injury, but is yet to return to sufficient fitness following his illness last month. Ten Hag’s decision to let Martial train alone is not a disciplinary matter, but reflects his belief in individual training for players who are not fit for matches.
Martial is currently not considered fit enough to work with the first-team squad, given the intensity and work rate the manager demands of his players in training. Individual training of players returning from injury is standard practice at United, but the time it takes for Martial to return to fitness has raised questions. The Frenchman is out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of the season and is expected to leave on a free transfer as he has not been offered a new lease.
United are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Martial during the current window as getting rid of his £250,000-a-week salary would give them greater leeway to sign players while still adhering to spending rules of the Premier League, but it is believed that the player wants to stay and fight for his place, on the side of the English media. Martial has failed to live up to his potential since becoming the Premier League’s most expensive teenager when United paid Monaco £36million for him nine years ago, but he has everything also scored 63 league goals in 149 starts.
