Manchester United are preparing for a midweek match against Tottenham and are having to explore options in attack.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford are the team’s only two fit strikers, with Anthony Martial currently out with an injury which forced him off against Everton after 26 minutes.
United released training photos on Monday evening from the day’s session, and it was hoped there may be some pictures of Martial involved. Unfortunately not.
Martial was not pictured in the training gallery published by United, which suggests he is losing the battle to get fit for Wednesday’s game.
Joe Hugill features in Manchester United training again
With no Martial present, Manchester United called again on 18-year-old striker Joe Hugill to join the training session.
Hugill featured in training at the end of last week, after recovering from an injury which has kept him out of the under-21s so far this season.
His presence once again suggests United are looking at him as a back-up option if required, rather than simply calling him up for the experience.
Along with Zidane Iqbal and Alejandro Garnacho, Hugill was the only youngster pictured.
While Charlie McNeill dropped down into the under-21s at the weekend, Hugill was not involved, and continues with the first team.
Hugill has scored regularly for United’s academy sides since joining the club in 2020 from Sunderland, netting 35 goals in 66 games.
He has also been impacted by injuries which have seen him miss time, but he is still only 18 and Erik ten Hag may be intrigued by what he has to offer.
The lanky forward could pose problems for opponents even at first team level, and Ten Hag will be using these training sessions to assess what he may be capable of as he searches for alternatives with Martial out.
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