Erik ten Hag hits out at 'unfair' Anthony Martial criticism as Man Utd boss insists 'everyone is giving their best' despite dire start to 2023-24 campaign

The French forward had a forgettable outing in United's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United as he failed to make a mark on the game and was subbed in the 62nd minute. Even manager Ten Hag was left fuming by his poor performance as he was seen shouting at Martial. But now, the Dutch manager has come out in defence of his player amid severe criticism from all quarters, while insisting that the entire team is trying their best to improve themselves after a dire start to the 2023-24 campaign.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a midweek clash with Chelsea, the Red Devils boss said: "Anthony Martial played brilliantly against Everton. I don’t think it’s fair to point to one player. If you have one moment, you can’t make that as a pattern. The week before we played brilliant, lot of energy in the team, spirt, you see all the games before – I mentioned Fulham, Burnley, Brentford, Luton, so many games for evidence. If it was a pattern, these were different. But this is not a pattern, absolutely not. Everyone is giving their best, there is unity as a team."

The 28-year-old has experienced an underwhelming campaign so far, managing to score just twice in 18 appearances for the club. With both Marcus Rashford and Martial out of form, Ten Hag's side have been wildly inconsistent. They are on the brink of Champions League elimination and find themselves seventh in the league, 12 points behind league leaders Arsenal.

The Red Devils have a very busy schedule in December. After the game against Chelsea, Ten Hag's side will prepare for a home clash with Bournemouth before a must-win Champions League group stage clash with Bayern Munich. Huge domestic games against Liverpool and West Ham will follow before Christmas Day that could go a long way to deciding whether United make the Premier League's top-four.