Ten Hag decides on four Man Utd stars' futures including brutal Martial call

20 October 2023 , 14:20

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Ten Hag decides on four Man Utd stars' futures including brutal Martial call

Manchester United will seek to move on Anthony Martial next summer as Erik ten Hag wants to shake up his striking options.

Red Devils boss Ten Hag was open to moving on striker Martial this summer – the Frenchman has undergone another frustrating season without sustained form or fitness. The signing of Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta further reduced Martial’s status.

Martial’s continued fitness issues limited him to just 11 starts in 38 Premier League matches last season – illustrating his lack of reliability when it comes to availability. While the fitness concerns are beyond the Frenchman’s control, Ten Hag is believed to have lost confidence in him.

As detailed by the Manchester Evening News, United are set to trigger the one-year extensions in the contracts of Victor Lindelof, Hannibal Mejbri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. This protects the club as they seek to retain their contracts due to their first-team involvement and also against the possibility of those players leaving as free agents.

Left-back duo Brandon Williams and Alvaro Fernandez, on loan at Ipswich and Granada respectively, may both have their deals extended for United to seek transfer fees for each. Veterans Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton will have their situations assessed at the end of the campaign.

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The situation of Martial remains the most precarious. The Frenchman is out of contract next summer although United do hold an option to extend his stay at Old Trafford by a further year. Either way, the club will be open to his exit next summer.

Allowing him to leave as a free agent does appear to be counterproductive as United are likely to be able to secure a transfer fee for him, should they renew his deal, even if it is not a money-spinning deal. Ten Hag remains short on options in that position but Martial has struggled.

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Martial has endured a frustrating period at Man United

Last summer, United did not replace Edinson Cavani while Cristiano Ronald's November exit saw Wout Weghorst signed on a loan arrangement. Weghorst and Mason Greenwood both departed this summer, meaning Hojlund and Martial are now the only central striking options in United’s squad, although Marcus Rashford – who prefers cutting in from the left flank – is another option for Ten Hag in that role.

Martial has not completed a full Premier League match in almost three years while he missed 33 matches – over half – of United’s matches last term. He has scored 89 goals in eight full seasons while netting once in 12 outings during a half-season loan spell at Sevilla in 2022.

Colin Millar