Martial 'better than what you fear' as Solskjaer assesses Man Utd return for French forward

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer affirmed that Anthony Martial's condition was "better than what you fear" after seeing the French forward make his first Manchester United appearance since March 21.

A 25-year-old frontman picked up an untimely knee problem when on World Cup qualifying duty with his country and sat out the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign and this summer's European Championship as a result.

It has been a long road back to fitness for a man that continues to see questions asked of his future at Old Trafford, but he was able to take in 45 minutes of pre-season action during a comfortable 4-0 friendly win for United over Everton.

What has been said?

Delivering his assessment of Martial to the Red Devils' official website, Solskjaer said: "Anthony has had a bad spell with injuries, of course these were his first 45 minutes. 

"He’s been training well with us but as players who’ve been out for a while, they need some more sharpness, need some more work. 

"He tried to do the right thing; it didn’t come off all the time, but it’s better than what you fear sometimes when he’s been injured for five months – since March."

Martial took in 36 appearances for United last season, but only 17 of those were Premier League starts and he managed just seven goals across all competitions.

When will new arrivals be ready?

United have moved to further bolster their ranks this summer, with Martial facing increased competition for attacking berths from England international Jadon Sancho, who joined for £73 million ($101m) from Borussia Dortmund.

At the back, Martial's fellow countryman Raphael Varane is set to slot in at centre-back alongside club captain Harry Maguire, with Solskjaer hoping to get a good look at both of his big-money signings before taking in a Premier League opener against Leeds on August 14.

He added: "The medical with Raphael [still] has to be done. He’s isolating at the moment. 

"He had to wait for visas, so unfortunately that took a few more days than expected but we’re going to follow the protocols and the rules, so it’s taken a few more days than we hoped for. 

"Jadon is in for Monday and hopefully then he’s in decent nick and can be involved [against Leeds]."

What about those that have had Covid-19?

Solskjaer will hope to be at full strength against Leeds, but Covid-19 continues to disrupt best-laid plans around the world.

Dean Henderson has been recovering from a bout of coronavirus, while Jesse Lingard is now in self-isolation after testing positive.

Solskjaer said: "Jesse, he feels okay, and hopefully it’ll stay that way, but when you get the positive test you’ve got to isolate even if you’re feeling well. 

"Dean, he was positive early on and then he’s negative in his testing [now] but he’s not felt as energised or sharp as he has done. 

"So he’s still fatigued and feeling the after effects so you never know, you’ve seen so many effects of this virus so he’s got a few days still to rest and then we’ll check up on him."

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