Erik ten Hag sat down for a press conference this afternoon ahead of Manchester United’s fixture against Southampton tomorrow.
Surprising the gathered journalists immediately, the manager ruled Anthony Martial out of contention.
“Anthony Martial is not fit.”
When pressed further, Ten Hag revealed that the Frenchman is suffering from an Achilles injury and while the boss said, “I hope that he will be available for the next game,” that seems unlikely.
In more positive news, Casemiro has been confirmed as fit and available as “He did all the training sessions” since his work permit application went through.
The United boss did not specify any other injuries until pressed on the transfer situations of Phil Jones, Axel Tuanzebe and Brandon Williams.
He said that all three are “unavailable” for selection and that he therefore does not expect any them to secure moves away from Old Trafford.
Other transfer-related questions brought only the standard responses from Ten Hag, who insists that United only want the “right players.”
He maintained that in recruitment matters “the bar is very high,” indicating that he only expects top quality additions who can improve upon his current options.
Monday’s fantastic result was also on the agenda:
“Liverpool for me is the best football-playing team in the world, so when you beat them, you have confidence.”
That confidence will be needed again against Southampton, but Ten Hag sees this challenge as a similar one to the Brentford game.
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