Ten Hag: 'Man Utd play best with Martial'
"You say I protect Martial, but the stats show that Martial needs less time to score than other players. That shows Martial's contribution to the club," Ten Hag said on April 12 in the meeting. Press conference before the Europa League quarter-final first leg against Sevilla.

According to the Dutch coach, Man Utd play the best football and get the best results when Martial is in the squad, as shown by the two victories over Man City and Liverpool with the same score of 2-1 in the Premier League. When he won against Liverpool in August 2022, Martial replaced Anthony Elanga at the beginning of the second half and immediately left his mark with an assist for Marcus Rashford to score. In the win against Man City earlier this year, the French striker started and made way for Antony after the break.
This season, Martial has suffered five injuries and has only made 17 appearances in all competitions, including 12 in the Premier League, three in the League Cup, one in the Europa League and one in the FA Cup. The French striker has seven goals and two assists in 799 minutes on the pitch.
After two months of convalescence, Martial returned to full training in the last five weeks, coming on as a substitute in matches against Newcastle, Brentford and Everton in the Premier League. In it, he marked his return with a goal to score a 2-0 victory over Everton over the weekend.
Ten Hag explained that he didn't want to take the risk, so he just brought Martial back slowly to get used to matches of high level and intensity. He then emphasized that the 27-year-old striker was in the best shape and ready to start for the first time since the match against Man City on January 14.

Meeting with Sevilla today, Man Utd also welcomed the return of Christian Eriksen after a long injury and Casemiro - who was suspended for four matches in the domestic league. According to Ten Hag, the trio of Casemiro, Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes created a balance for Man Utd's midfield. In it, Casemiro brings certainty, Eriksen builds the game and can attack, and Fernandes kicks right behind the center.
However, Man Utd will not have the services of Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Alejandro Garnacho. Ten Hag revealed Shaw could be back soon, while Rashford and Garnacho have more serious problems.
This season, Sevilla fell when currently ranked 13th in La Liga with 32 points from 28 matches. But Ten Hag is still cautious because Sevilla is the most successful team in Europa League history with six championships in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2020. According to the Dutch coach, Man Utd must prepare carefully. athletic, reached the highest form and focused to overcome the Spanish representative.
