Anthony Martial has the last chance to save his Manchester United career following an injury for Rasmus Hojlund against Luton Town this month.
Hojlund suffered the setback in the second half of the 1-0 victory over Luton and United are hopeful to have him back before the end of November.
It is unclear whether he will be fit in time for the Everton trip. In our view, manager Erik ten Hag could be cautious with him with a hectic schedule coming up.
This could open up an opportunity for Martial, who faces a critical phase in his United career.
Martial made eight goal contributions in the league last term but he played only 980 minutes. He missed 29 games in all competitions with injuries.
This paved the way for the huge investment on Hojlund last summer. The Dane has been almost an undisputed starter since making his debut.
Martial has only started in the Carabao Cup since the September international break. United are no longer in the competition after a fourth round exit.
Hence, the forward’s playing time has been drastically reduced and in our opinion, he is facing a race against time to save his Red Devils career.
Martial’s current deal expires at the end of the campaign and United’s hierarchy have decided against triggering a 12-month extension clause for now.
There is talk of Saudi interest ahead of the New Year and the £36 million signing needs to step up with his performances to win back the confidence of the manager.
Everton are the Frenchman’s favourite club. He has netted eight goals and provided four assists in 16 meetings against the Merseyside outfit in all competitions.
Martial could get the opportunity to increase his contribution tally on Sunday. If he starts and fails to impress, the talk of him leaving in January could intensify.
United could explore a stopgap signing to provide back-up to Hojlund this winter. Porto’s Mehdi Taremi has been identified as a potential candidate by the club.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
