Ten Hag issues damning message to Anthony Martial amid rumoured Premier League move

Ahead of Manchester United’s Premier League fixture against Chelsea on Thursday evening, Erik ten Hag has been speaking about Anthony Martial.

Manchester United, should they secure at least a draw against Chelsea on Thursday night at Old Trafford, will secure Champions League football next season.

Should they come away from the fixture with a victory and three points, they will leapfrog Newcastle United and slot into third place in the league with just one fixture remaining.

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While the third position behind only Manchester City and Arsenal would be a significant achievement during Erik ten Hag’s first Premier League campaign, that is far to say that his opening season in charge has been smooth sailing.

One glaring problem that has been staring Manchester United in the face is their lack of goals – they have struggled to establish any striker upfront.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Wout Weghorst, and even Christian Eriksen have had a crack at locking down the position – but beyond Rashford, who is more effective off the left-hand side anyway, none of them has been able to provide consistent goals.

Anthony Martial has eight goals and three assists in 27 fixtures across all campaigns this season, clocking a goal involvement every 123 minutes. This is not a bad ratio, however, it’s his lack of consistent availability that has completely killed his chances to become Ten Hag’s starting striker.

Speaking on the Frenchman in his pre-match press conference, the Dutchman issued a damning message to Martial, hinting at his frustration surrounding his unavailability.

“If you are not available, you can’t score,” he explained on Wednesday. “When he was available we played better, the team is winning games, he’s also scoring goals but he has to be available.”

Martial has missed 24 games this season due to injury, which is so far from what would be expected and required from a starting XI striker.

He has recently been linked with a move away to Premier League side Aston Villa, with the midlands club reportedly weighting up a move for the striker.

It has been said by RMC Sport that Ten Hag is looking to move Anthony Martial on from his squad ‘as soon as possible’ in order to increase funds and free up space to move for a new striker in the summer.

United have been linked to a number of strikers already ahead of this window, including Harry Kane, Gonaclo Ramos, Victor Osimhen, and Evan Ferguson.