Erik ten Hag confirms key Man Utd injury absence vs Chelsea and delivers ‘good news’ on defender

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that his side will be without Anthony Martial for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea. The French striker has missed each of the Red Devils’ last three matches, having been forced off during the recent 2-1 win over Everton.

The 26-year-old’s current absence already represents the third time that he has been sidelined this season due to various injury complaints. When fit enough to feature, however, the forward has impressed, registering three goals and two assists in just 133 minutes of football across all competitions.

But United will travel to Stamford Bridge without him this weekend, according to Ten Hag. As quoted by the club’s official website, the Dutchman said: “Martial? He was on the [training] pitch, but he’s not available for tomorrow. We have to see how it develops in the coming days.”

The Red Devils will also be without Cristiano Ronaldo, who is set to miss out for disciplinary reasons after leaving the United bench before the final whistle in Wednesday night’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. As such, Marcus Rashford is likely to be Ten Hag’s only available senior central striking option.

In more promising injury news, however, defenders Harry Maguire and Brandon Williams both returned to outdoor training this week as they continue their respective rehabilitations. Likewise, Ten Hag also revealed that Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also nearing full fitness.

He said: “Aaron Wan-Bissaka is back on the pitch, so that’s good news, because we need everyone. We have so many games to cover, so we need a big squad, you need that you can pick players, that you have choice. So I’m happy with that process.”