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Erik ten Hag explains why Anthony Martial didn’t start for Man United after Wout Weghorst was dropped against Brentford.
Despite Wout Weghorst sliding to the bench, Erik ten Hag has revealed why Anthony Martial did not start for Manchester United against Brentford.
After going three Premier League matches without scoring, changes to the Red Devils’ offence were anticipated on Wednesday. Weghorst, a Dutch international who was sent out on loan in January, has contributed to those lacklustre performances by making only two attempts in 19 outings.
He was named among the substitutes against Brentford after making the starting XI in all of his previous outings, with Jadon Sancho included from the off as Marcus Rashford – who grabbed the only goal in a 1-0 win – once again being asked to lead the line as a central striker.
Explaining why fit Martial was not selected down the middle, allowing Rashford to remain on the flanks, United boss Ten Hag told reporters: “He was an option but I don’t think in this moment he is game fit enough to have a start. And there is also prevention. Obviously, when you see Anthony Martial’s record over the last years, you have to be really careful to plan it. So I don’t want to take that risk because I know when he is on the pitch he has a great impact on our performance.”
Ten Hag added, with Rashford netting his 28th goal of the season and Sancho proving once again that he can operate anywhere along the frontline: “I think also you can take in that discussion, that debate, Jadon Sancho. But I’m sure when they are three or four on the pitch we have a very good frontline. A lot of creativity, a lot of intelligence, a lot of pace, a lot of togetherness, I think then we create more, we will have more of a threat.
“And the balance of that frontline will be good. But obviously you have to play more together. So happy it looks like he (Martial) is back and hopefully he stays fit until the end of the season and we can play him. But we have seen with others we have results, we proved that, that we are there and Anthony Martial is often not available but still we are there.”
Martial, a 27-year-old French international who has had five different injuries in the 2022–23 season that have kept him out for extended periods of time, did come off the bench against the Bees in what was only his 16th appearance of the year.
United, who are still in fourth place in the Premier League standings but are tied with Newcastle in terms of points, will return to action on Saturday when they visit relegation-threatened Everton.