September 29, (THEWILL) – Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, Manchester United’s dynamic attacking combo, are doubtful for the Sunday’s English Premier League derby against reigning champions Manchester City.
Rashford has been sidelined for three weeks with a hamstring injury, while Martial has missed United’s last five games due to an Achilles issue. The international break was supposed to offer both forwards a decent opportunity to rest up and resume training, but, currently, neither player has yet resumed full squad training.
As a result, Erik ten Hag may be forced to choose a lineup similar to the one that defeated Sheriff 2-0 in the Europa League two weeks ago. In that tie, Jadon Sancho and the new addition Antony played either side of Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored his first goal of the season from the penalty spot. However, his recent performances for Portugal have drawn harsh criticism from the Portuguese media.
Another heavily criticised player is centre-back Harry Maguire, who was one of those blamed for England’s poor showing. But, he is most certainly out for Ten Hag due to a thigh injury sustained during the international break.
However, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, the defensive pairing that will almost probably start on Sunday for the Red Devils, have been preferred by Ten Hag and they are available to take on the champions in the derby.
