Manchester United got a great fitness boost on Thursday, as forward Anthony Martial returned to full training. The Frenchman started the 2-2 draw at Leicester City last weekend, but missed the Boxing Day clash with Burnley due to what was deemed a “minor knee problem.”
His presence was definitely missed in the home 2-2 draw against the Clarets, as United had severe issues finishing. The Red Devils dominated possession and scoring opportunities, but took away only a single point from the match due their problems in the final third.
Across all competitions, Anthony Martial has nine goals, 10 assists and 24 shots on goal. United will be looking to finish the calendar year on a hight note, having failed to win any of their last three matches. In dropping four points from their last two league fixtures, United’s title hopes degraded from very unlikely to essentially non-existent.
We’ll have the full match fitness/injury report and MUFC starting XI prediction for you here shortly. United manager Jose Mourinho is expected to provide more team news tomorrow at his Friday news conference.
Odds: Man United- 2/5 Draw- 15/4 Southampton- 15/2
Prediction: United 1, Southampton 0
As always, feel free to post your own MUFC starting XI and/or final score prediction in the comments section below.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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