“It’s his job” – Erik ten Hag sends brutal message to Manchester United outcast

Erik ten Hag has been brutal in his assessment of Manchester United forward Anthony Martial and opened up on the striker’s current situation.

Martial, 28, has been unavailable for United since mid-December with a bout of illness, but Ten Hag has since explained that the French forward is not fit enough to play either.

The centre-forward has six months left on his deal at Old Trafford, and rumours suggested that United were aiming to sell the player in the January transfer window to receive some sort of fee.

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However, Martial is not interested in leaving the club this month and wants to remain at United for the rest of the season, before he likely leaves on a free transfer in the summer.

Martial’s availability has been extremely poor since Ten Hag came into the club, and now the manager has told reporters that the player must take responsibility in getting himself ready.

“He’s not fit. We want the players to be fit, and at this moment, he is not,” explained Ten Hag.

“We have to make him fit, and it is his job as well to get ready for the next game. But at this moment, he is having medical treatment, and he has to recover.”

Martial has started seven games this season, and only 24 times since Ten Hag joined at the start of last season.

United face up against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this weekend after a poor end to 2023, losing against Nottingham Forest.

Victory against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup third-round won’t mean much if United cannot turn in a positive performance and result against Spurs.