Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has revealed that Anthony Martial will again be absent for Saturday's Premier League clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The 26-year-old was in impressive form for the Red Devils during pre-season and had been expected to start the 2022-23 campaign as the team's number one forward.
However, he missed the start of the season with a hamstring issue, before spending more time on the sidelines with an Achilles problem.
Martial scored three times in two appearances against Manchester City and Omonia towards the start of October, but he then suffered a back injury against Everton at Goodison Park.
The problem has forced him to miss the team's last three matches, and Ten Hag said during his press conference on Friday that the France international would also miss out against Chelsea.
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"Martial? He was on the [training] pitch, but he's not available for tomorrow. We have to see how it develops in the coming days," Ten Hag told MUTV.
However, Harry Maguire and Brandon Williams have been pictured back on the grass at Carrington, as the first-team pair step up their injury recoveries.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag said on Friday that Aaron Wan-Bissaka was also back in training, with the Englishman being absent from the squad in recent weeks due to an unspecified problem.
"Aaron Wan-Bissaka is back on the pitch, so that's good news, because we need everyone. We have so many games to cover, so we need a big squad, you need that you can pick players, that you have choice. So I'm happy with that process," said the team's head coach.
However, Donny van de Beek and Axel Tuanzebe remain on the sidelines for the Red Devils.
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Cristiano Ronaldo will also be missing against Chelsea this weekend, as the Portugal international is being punished for refusing to enter the field against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.
Second-half goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes secured as 2-0 win over Antonio Conte's side, and the Red Devils will now be looking to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League when they head to Stamford Bridge.
"For me it's never an issue, away or at home, because the pitch is even big. It's 11 against 11, there's a ref, so it's all the same. And, also away we always have a lot of support from our fans, so we are really happy with that. We feel strong and we are looking forward to that game tomorrow," said Ten Hag during his press conference.
Man United are currently fifth in the Premier League table, one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea, who played out a goalless draw with Brentford in their last game on Wednesday night.
Matt Law
