Manchester United welcome pair back to first-team training

Manchester United fans will be delighted to see the club welcome Lisandro Martinez and Marcus Rashford back into first-team training at Carrington.

The news (via ManUtd.com) comes with relief because the pair should be available for the FA Cup final against Man City later this month. Still, it also eases the suffering over United’s ongoing injury crisis.

That doesn’t mean Erik ten Hag should immediately throw Martinez or Rashford back into the team. Martinez, especially, needs to be eased back because he has missed a lot of football this year. The Argentina international has not played since the 1-1 draw at Brentford in March. On top of that, he has only managed 11 appearances all season due to injury.

United have essentially been without their best centre-back. Martinez was also one of United’s best performers last term. He has been a huge loss for the team on and off the pitch.

Then there’s Rashford. An underperforming star with an uncertain future at Old Trafford. The forward could do with a big performance in the FA Cup final. He owes that to the fans and the club.

Rashford picked up his injury in the FA Cup semi-final win over Coventry City at Wembley. He is losing in on a landmark 400 appearance for the club.

With title-chasing Arsenal up next at Old Trafford, it remains to be seen if Ten Hag will be able to welcome back anymore players. He is set to speak to the media tomorrow afternoon ahead of the game.