Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed that Antony and Jadon Sancho will need to be assessed ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup third round clash against Aston Villa.
The Red Devils suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss to Villa in the Premier League at the weekend and Ten Hag will be hoping that his team can avenge the result at Old Trafford tomorrow.
In a specially arranged press conference for fans today, Ten Hag said that Anthony Martial should definitely get more minutes after making his injury comeback on Sunday.
He added that the availability of Antony and Sancho could depend on how they respond in today’s training session. The duo have been out with a hip injury and illness respectively.
He said via Manutd.com: “An injuries update? Yeah, there are some players coming back and also some question marks.”
“As you have seen, Anthony Martial, for the last 20 minutes, was back at Villa, so we are happy with that and we hope he can continue this tomorrow.
“He will be in the squad, we have to see, but he will have minutes, definitely, if he has recovered.
“Yesterday, we had a day off so, tonight, we have final training and then we will see.
“I think he’s capable to play for minutes. On the rest, Jadon Sancho, we have to wait, and Antony, we have to wait, today, on final training.”
Martial could lead the line against Aston Villa
Ten Hag has the opportunity to rotate his entire line-up against the Villans tomorrow, but judging by his comments, we could see most of the league regulars starting at Old Trafford.
There may be a few changes in personnel. Bruno Fernandes should return after his Premier League suspension. He is expected to replace Donny van de Beek in the number 10 role.
Martial could be in line to lead the attack. He played just 20 minutes on Sunday but could start up front ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. He has three goals and two assists from just five games this term.
Sancho could make his comeback to the matchday squad after his illness but it seems unlikely that Antony will be available after the recent update from the Brazilian national team doctor.
Rodrigo Lasmar said that the Brazilian has a crucial week ahead to recover from his hip issue and may not be risked by Ten Hag or United, particularly with him being called up for the World Cup.
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