Manchester United are now off until April 4, when they’ll resume their Premier League campaign against Brighton & Hove Albion. In the meantime, we’ve got plenty of news and notes, related to the two hereos of the Manchester Derby win, to cover. (And for today’s United transfer talk, go here).
We start with left back Luke Shaw, who recorded an assist today in England’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Albania. This now gives him five assists in his last 10 starts for club and country.
Harry Kane opens the scoring for England, what a cross from Luke Shaw ? pic.twitter.com/8z2evF96ud
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 28, 2021
It’s really amazing when you think about it, all that Shaw has been through during his time at United; since he moved from Southampton in 2014.
https://twitter.com/UtdFaithfuls/status/1376214401104158720
Elsewhere, we have more bad news regarding Anthony Martial, the Frenchman forward who has struggled through a rough season in 20/21. Or at least a tough 2021 after a solid 2020. Martial set up one of France’s goals in their 2-0 win over Kazakhstan in World Cup qualifying yesterday, but limped off injured before the hour mark.
Martial’s knee was hurt enough that it required treatment, but he played on for five more minutes until getting subbed off in the 59′. No more specific information is available at this time.
Hopefully, it proves to not be serious, as Martial has had some fitness issues lately.
Martial has seven goals and eight assists in 36 appearances this season, however he has only three goals and just one assist in 19 matches since the calender flipped from 2020 to 2021, and two of those three goals came in the 9-0 whomping of Southampton.
United really need him to get on track, and soon.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.