Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that Anthony Martial won’t be available for the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 tie against Linzer ASK.
The Frenchman has been in fine form following the winter break and he scored his fourth goal from six matches during the 2-0 Premier League win over Manchester City last weekend.
Following the derby, Martial revealed that he had suffered cuts to his shins after colliding with the goalpost and that has now ruled him out of the European game at the Linzer Stadium.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Solskjaer said that Martial won’t feature against LASK after the unpleasant incident and refused to confirm whether he could play against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
“Anthony hurt himself when he slid into the post. So he’s not ready for this game. Hopefully, he can be ready for Sunday [at Tottenham] but I’m not sure. He’s struggling a little bit,” he told.
In the absence of Martial, Odion Ighalo will most certainly lead the line against the Austrian outfit and he has the opportunity to continue the fine run of form since his loan move.
The Nigerian has been restricted to substitute appearances in the Premier League but he has fared impressively in the Cup competitions with three goals from just two starts.
Aside from Ighalo, Scott McTominay is likely to return to the starting lineup after a wonderful cameo appearance in the Manchester derby, where he scored with a superb 35-yard strike.
United are currently unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions. They should be favourites to extend the run against LASK on Thursday. The game will be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.
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