Anthony Martial injury update as Erik ten Hag offers Jadon Sancho new Manchester United position

Anthony Martial is set to return to full Manchester United training ahead of the club’s friendly against Real Madrid early on Thursday morning.

Manchester United have been without Anthony Martial since 28 May, when the French striker suffered a hamstring tear against Fulham in the Premier League.

Martial has been plagued with injuries under Erik ten Hag so far, and despite good form when he does play, it is hard to say he can become a regular under the Dutch manager due to his injury issues.

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According to Laurie Whitwell from The Athletic, United are looking to treat Martial’s return from injury “with caution” due to his history with injury, and Ten Hag will only look to fully integrate him back into the squad once Martial convinces the manager of his fitness levels.

Martial has been training separately so far, but Ten Hag is keen to get the striker back into the squad as they train in San Diego before playing Real Madrid.

In his absence, Jadon Sancho has been trialling a central role, performing in a “false nine” position with wingers on either side of him.

Whitwell further reports that rather than his being a stop-gap solution in pre-season while United lack a striker, it is a genuine attempt to see if Sancho can perform in this role on a more regular basis moving forwards – the Dutchman is said to be impressed so far.

Sancho scored a great goal against Arsenal on Saturday evening during their pre-season friendly in New York, where United ran out at 2-0 victors.