There could be an unfamiliar face in the Manchester United squad when they travel to face Newcastle this weekend: Anthony Martial.
The French forward has not played for United since a brief cameo against Nottingham Forest last month, and has only managed 14 appearances for them across all competitions in a season that offered so much.
Yet, even with his limited playing time, the 27-year-old still has six goals this campaign and impressed last summer as part of a fluid forward line that looked irresistible.
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"When he is there, he's really important for us because we play our best football when he is available," Erik ten Hag insisted back in January, though they haven't had that luxury enough this season.
Martial has missed 30 games this term through five separate absences, including hip, back, Achilles and hamstring problems. It has been 18 months since he last completed 90 minutes for United, and only one of his 14 appearances this season has lasted longer than 72 minutes.
The most talented players do not always make for the best side, and even when Martial is finally deemed match-ready again, there is no guarantee he will actually play.
Wout Weghorst has made the most of the Frenchman's latest setback, and in the last few days even acknowledged just how 'injury prone' his attacking rival has been.
"All Ten Hag said was that he needed a striker who could fit into his way of playing," Weghorst explained while on international duty. "Anthony Martial was his striker, and he was doing fine – but he is injury-prone, and the manager wanted all positions double-staffed. He certainly did not paint the picture as it is now."
After 18 consecutive starts, even the Dutchman is surprised by the extent of his involvement this season, and it will be fascinating to see the role he occupies for the rest of it.
Martial has started just eight games under the current United manager and has played fewer minutes than Weghorst, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire this season.
It is understood that while Ten Hag clearly rates the 27-year-old, he has now lost patience with him, and despite believing he could bring the best out of the forward, he is now faced with the same dilemma his predecessors were.
Martial continues to have a hardcore following of devoted fans that drive his PR image as an exceptional centre-forward, but the reality is that eight years after joining the club, he remains an unreliable option who frustrates far more than he fires.
The very fact that he still remains at United after so many false dawns speaks volumes of their issues as a club, and no matter how well he does between now and the end of the season, they can't afford to be lured into giving him yet another.
Weghorst's other comments over the international break explain what it is the United manager wants from his players, and hint at why Martial's time at the club might finally be up this summer.
He added: "Ten Hag did say clearly, ‘It is up to you. You can force things, and the best one plays.’
"He told me just to take his plan into account because Ten Hag is a manager who places a lot of value on task-conscious play. The manager then told me I had to do my share of defensive work in the role."
With so much still at stake between now and the end of the season, United's team selections will be dictated not only by availability, but also by whom the manager really feels he can trust.
While he might not be lethal in front of goal, Weghorst is at least consistent with his work rate and defensive output, while Martial has struggled for consistency throughout his time at the club.
Martial might be back, but that doesn't mean he'll play.
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