Star Player Ruled Out of FA Cup Final Against Man City Due to Hamstring Injury
Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial has been ruled out of the FA Cup final against Manchester City, dealing Erik ten Hag a major blow.
The club announced the news on their website, revealing that he would miss the game due to a hamstring injury sustained during the Red Devils’ 2-1 win against Fulham on Sunday.
The Frenchman only played 23 minutes against the Cottagers, but it was enough to keep him out of the final against Pep Guardiola’s treble-chasing City.
It’s the latest setback for the injury-prone 27-year-old, whose season has been hampered by five major issues that have kept him out of 27 games.
Ten Hag will be scrambling for alternatives in his absence, having relied on the forward for goals in recent weeks. When he’s been healthy, he’s been United’s first-choice striker.
Ten Hag’s other option is Wout Weghorst, who has only scored twice since joining on loan in January and has not scored in his in 15 games.
Instead, the Dutchman may choose to play Rashford as the main striker, as he did against Fulham, with Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho on either side of the Englishman.
Ten Hag praised his squad’s depth after defeating Marco Silva’s side, adding that United would use the full squad to defeat their bitter rivals on Saturday.
“We have more players than a starting XI.” You can’t talk about a starting XI because we’ve played so many games this season. When deciding on a squad, we consider our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. With all of the games we had to play, finishing third is a huge accomplishment,” Ten Hag said.
As a result of his injury, Martial may miss out on saying goodbye to fans, with the player being linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer, as Ten Hag wants a more reliable number nine.
