On the Manchester United practise pitch, Anthony Martial’s day took an unexpected turn. Just before 9 am, he arrived on time, but his visit was disappointingly short.
The odd series of events was reported by eyewitnesses to Manchester Evening News. Despite arriving at Carrington at precisely 8:56 a.m. on a Thursday, Martial left the building by 9 a.m. A simple mistake regarding the training schedule, which was later in the day, was the cause of his hasty departure.
The training schedule for United had changed. On Monday, the players were supposed to show up for training at 12:30 pm, but on Tuesday, they had to be there at 9 am. However, there was a mix-up when United players started to arrive around 11:30 am. At 12:23 PM, Martial himself made his way back to Carrington.
Martial started the final two games against Nottingham Forest and Arsenal but failed to score, leading to his substitution in both game. The 27-year-old will therefore likely make place for Rasmus Hojlund, a new £72 million acquisition, who might make his United full debut in the next match against Brighton at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Martial has scored 17 goals for United over the previous three years, but since January 2021, when United lost at home to Sheffield United, he has struggled to play the full 90 minutes in a Premier League game. Martial had been thought about for sale by United during the summer, but his hamstring injury in the final league game of the previous campaign against Fulham, followed by his absence during preseason, changed the situation.
Although United has the option to extend Martial’s contract for another year until next summer, his future at the club is still in doubt if his performance plateau continues.
