Erik ten Hag insists €60m star is not 'game fit enough' after victory over Brentford

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said that Anthony Martial did not start the Premier League game against Brentford as he was not ‘game fit enough’.

The Frenchman recently returned to first-team action after more than two months. He came on in the second half of the 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United.

It was anticipated that he could start over Wout Weghorst last night but Ten Hag chose to go with Marcus Rashford up front. Jadon Sancho started on the left wing.

Martial only came on after the 70th minute and speaking after the game, Ten Hag said that the Frenchman is not ‘game fit enough’ to start for the club.

The Dutch tactician added that United have to be really careful with the forward’s fitness, considering his concerning injury record over the past few years.

He told reporters via Manchester Evening News: “No, otherwise he was an option but I don’t think in this moment he is game fit enough to have a start.”

“Obviously, when you see Anthony Martial’s record over the last years, you have to be really careful to plan it.

“So I don’t want to take that risk because I know when he is on the pitch he has a great impact on our performance.”

Ten Hag prepared to handle Martial with caution

Martial has been impressive in his limited playing time this season. The Frenchman has six goals and two assists from under 800 minutes of action.

However, the forward has failed to stay unscathed over a period of time. He has picked up five separate injuries over the course of the campaign.

Hence, there are no surprises that Ten Hag is wary of starting him. The Dutchman may keep him on the bench for a few more games this month.

Once the €60 million signing is fully match fit, he should definitely lead the line. This would allow Marcus Rashford to play in his dominant left wing role.

Rashford has had a fantastic season with 28 goals and we saw yesterday that he had the tendency to move to the left despite starting as the striker.

Hopefully, Martial can be fit and firing in the coming weeks. Regardless of his performances, United must invest on a marquee striker during the summer.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

The post Erik ten Hag insists €60m star is not 'game fit enough' after victory over Brentford appeared first on Man Utd News.