Rashford still optimistic, Martial ready to start

Although Martial has made only 17 appearances this season, nine of these as a sub, he has registered nine goal involvements. One of these came in his only Europa League outing to date, when he scored in last October’s 3-2 away win over Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus – just two minutes after coming off the bench to replace Bruno Fernandes.

“You say I have defended him but I just point to the stats,” said Ten Hag, when challenged by a reporter on his staunch support of Martial.

“The stats are telling you that the moment he is on the pitch, the time he needs for a goal is [short].

“When he is in the team, I refer to games against Man City and Liverpool, we play our best football and we have the best results as a team. So yeah, if you can say I defended him, I am just pointing to the stats and I see how he contributes to this team.”