With Martial having been in and out of the squad for the last season or so following numerous injury and fitness issues, it has been hard for ten Hag to rely on the striker for regular minutes, let alone live up to his shirt number and fill the position United have been struggling to resolve for so long.
However, the Dutchman has said in the past that his team “play their best football” with him in the squad and will no doubt be chuffed to see him available for the first game of the new campaign, especially with the club’s new centre-forward not quite ready to play yet.
🚨🚨🎙️| Erik ten Hag on lacking a No. 9 right now: "I'm quite calm, composed in this situation, because Rashy is very good as a striker, we have seen it last Saturday. Anthony Martial is available as well. Jadon Sancho can play there as well, he did it in pre-season very well." pic.twitter.com/RSaOlLcYeE
ten Hag provides an update on his squad, declaring Martial fit for the first game of the season.
After being asked how he feels ahead of the season starting without him having a fully settled number nine to pick — new signing Rasmus Højlund not yet deemed fit enough to feature — ten Hag replied by assuring, “I’m quite calm [and] composed in this situation, because Rashy is very good as a striker, we have seen it last Saturday [3-1 win against RC Lens]…
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It was at this point that he confirmed that “Anthony Martial is available as well” and added that “Jadon Sancho can play [too]”, insisting that “he did it in pre-season very well. The squad can deal with it, as I already said. There is a strategy behind it.”
The French forward didn’t play a single minute of pre-season due to a hamstring problem but returned to Carrington last week and is now the only out-and-out first-team striker that could potentially feature in the starting 11 against Wolves.
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His last appearance was against Manchester City in the FA Cup final defeat which helped them on the way to their treble win and only just managed over 20 games in all competitions last season.
Now 27 and having been at the club for eight years, it’s fair to say that Antony Martial has never quite hit the heights he promised following his exciting debut and impressive first season.
Although he hit a career-high of 23 goals and 12 assists back in the 2019/20 season, when he and Rashford both managed their best-ever tallies up to that point, he simply hasn’t been consistent or even available enough to nail down that number-nine role.
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With Højlund now waiting in the wings, it’ll be interesting to see if he stays at the club and tries to fight for his place or if United call it a day on his time at Old Trafford, with several outlets reporting that they are willing to listen to offers.
Featured Image — Antony Martial (via Instagram)/Beanyman Sports/MUTV (via YouTube)
Sport
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Danny Jones -
14th August 2023 
