Author: Amrit Santlani
Manchester United suffered a new blow in their quest for the FA Cup title against their “noisy neighbors” Manchester City, after Anthony Martial suffered a hamstring injury. With the two Manchester heavyweights facing off at Wembley on Saturday, Martial is unlikely to play again this season, having suffered a hamstring injury during the Red Devils’ 2-1 win over Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The club confirmed on Tuesday that the Frenchman had suffered a muscle tear. The 27-year-old had already missed many games due to a previous injury that saw him play just 21 Premier League games; Martial has contributed six goals and two assists this season.
In addition to Martial, United will also be without Brazilian full-back Antony, who was taken off on a stretcher during the 4-1 win over Chelsea. The 23-year-old appeared to be in a lot of pain and coach Erik ten Hag himself confirmed that the injury looked “serious”.
Luke Shaw was another player taken off at half-time against Chelsea and it remains to be seen whether the Englishman will be able to recover in time for the upcoming cup final, while Antony’s ankle injury will probably rule him out of the summit clash.
The Red Devils are aiming for a domestic double by reaching the FA Cup final, having already won the Carabao Cup earlier in the season. They will also try to deny their arch-rivals, Man City, the chance to win the triple crown. Pep Guardiola’s men have already won the Premier League title and also have a Champions League final against Inter Milan.
The only English club in history to win a treble to date was Manchester United, when they achieved the huge feat under Sir Alex Ferguson, so the Reds will have added motivation as they prepare for the much-anticipated clash at Wembley.
Ten Hag’s side secured qualification for the Champions League next season by finishing third in the Premier League and will be hoping to end their campaign on a high with a derby win.