Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has admitted there is no firm return date in sight for injured striker Anthony Martial.
Martial has played fewer minutes this season than Wout Weghorst, who only signed for the club in January.
He was at Wembley to watch the Carabao Cup final from the stands before joining his teammates for trophy pictures after the game.
The forward returned at the end of January, before suffering another setback, and has been out since.
Ten Hag on Martial
Now as we enter the month of March, there is still no return date for Anthony Martial.
Erik ten Hag declined to set one, and has admitted it is pointless rushing him back, as he fears he would just suffer another injury.
Instead the manager is preaching patience, and wants to play the long game, giving Martial as much time as he needs to get to 100 per cent.
With big games upcoming later down the line, Ten Hag believes this is the right call, and may simply be his only call at this point.
He described Martial as ‘quality’ and believes the French forward will be worth the wait.
Ten Hag told the club website: “I hope but I won’t give a prospective [time], or an expectation about that.
“Let him do his work, as several times now, he has been back and he drops back too quickly.
“We [have to] give him the time and I hope he is on board but first, in this moment, we are doing really well in this set-up. When he is available, we will have another option, a good option.
“Let’s give him the time and we will see when he is back. Then we will be happy because we have a quality option extra for the rest of the season.”
Martial has struck six goals for Manchester United this season, more than Weghorst has in fewer minutes. But if he can’t get onto the pitch, when he does, it’s so sporadic, he is not much use.
When he does return, he needs to stay fit, and this is at the forefront of Ten Hag’s explanation.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
