Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Anthony Martial has left the club’s pre-season tour of the United States to attend the birth of his second child. The Frenchman’s partner is currently in Paris, and the former AS Monaco forward has flown out to be with her, with Martial unlikely to return to the tour with United expected to return to Manchester late next week.
“I found out that he was going to Paris when he told me,” said Mourinho in quotes carried by Manutd.com. “It was three days ago.
“You know, when it is personal reasons, everyone analyses that the way they think is the correct way and, when a man is going to be a father, in this case it’s the second time that he is going to be a father, and he decides that it is very important for him to go, I think nobody has the right to stop him to go.”
The article also states that Antonio Valencia has returned to Manchester for treatment on a calf injury sustained against San Jose Earthquakes, and could potentially miss United’s Premier League season opener against Leicester City next month. Further bad news is on offer, with Nemanja Matic, who has only just joined the tour squad after featuring for Serbia in this summer’s World Cup, also out injured. The extent of the injury is not confirmed, but the suggestion is that the former Chelsea boss will certainly be absent for Saturday’s fixture with Liverpool.
Martial’s absence is less-than ideal at such a crucial stage of pre-season, but it’s impossible to begrudge the Frenchman from wanting to be present from such an important occasion. Elsewhere, Mourinho will be hoping that no other members of his team pick up any further knocks or strains before Leicester City arrive at Old Trafford on August 10th.
