Ronaldo back to the bench? Ten Hag confirms Martial could return for Man Utd's clash with Newcastle

Anthony Martial may be in contention to return to the Manchester United starting XI against Newcastle on Sunday, coach Erik ten Hag said.

Martial suffered injury last week
Ronaldo replaced forward vs Everton
Portugal star may be benched on Sunday

WHAT HAPPENED? Martial sustained an injury in the first half of United's 2-1 win at Everton last week and had to be replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo. Ten Hag hopes to have the French forward available for the Premier League match at Old Trafford on Sunday, but is waiting for further assessments.

WHAT THEY SAID: Ten Hag told reporters: “Anthony Martial can be [fit] but we have to wait how it develops in the coming hours."

He added the club's website: "I can’t say in this moment. It’s too early to say something about that. We have to wait, we have to see how it progresses in the coming hours. Of course, we hope he will be available but if not, we do it with other players because it’s always about the players who are available and we have a good squad, as you see, and also subs can make a difference."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Martial earned his place in the first team when he scored a late double in United's 6-3 loss to Manchester City. The 26-year-old's return could see Cristiano Ronaldo dropped to the bench once again, with the Portugal star limited to just one start in the Premier League this season.

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