Man Utd duo miss training ahead of Bayern Munich but important defender returns

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial missed Manchester United training on Monday due to illness, with both doubts for Tuesday’s Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich.

The Red Devils must win at Old Trafford and hope Copenhagen’s clash with Galatasaray ends in a draw, otherwise Erik ten Hag’s side will be eliminated from the competition. But the team’s chances of getting a result against Bayern could be lessened if United are without two attacking options.

Rashford struggled with illness last week and was a doubt ahead of the Bournemouth game, but came off the bench late on, while Martial started in the 3-0 loss and his withdrawal was met with cheers from the home supporters. Regardless, if the pair are fit for Tuesday night, neither is expected to start, but it would limit their offensive resources off the bench.

There was better news on Monday, however, with Victor Lindelof spotted in training. Ten Hag said the Swedish defender was a ‘question mark’ ahead of the game due to injury, but was seen working with the squad at Carrington.

Lindelof started in the recent win over Chelsea but missed the Bournemouth defeat and could be an option to play at Old Trafford, with Ten Hag hoping for an intimidating atmosphere from the home fans.

“I think Old Trafford is not a nice place to come for an opponent,” claimed the United boss. “We are aware of it. It starts with us and then you hope the fans, we are together.

"As long as I am here I always have the feeling we are absolutely together, there is a very strong bond between the team and the fans even when we have big setbacks. They stay behind us, they support us, so I am very happy with that. We have to take responsibility, it starts with us, we have to energise them.”

Meanwhile, Lisandro Martinez was spotted running on the grass for the first time since he underwent surgery on a foot injury in September. The Argentine won’t be back until after Christmas, Ten Hag has already confirmed, but his involvement at Carrington marks another step in his rehabilitation process.