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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Guardian sport

Anthony Martial almost misses Manchester United bus before full debut

Anthony Martial of Manchester United makes his way on to the team bus in Eindhoven. Photograph: The Guardian

Anthony Martial’s full debut for Manchester United was almost over before it had even begun, after the rest of the squad left their hotel in Eindhoven without the France forward on the team bus.

Having scored the third goal in United’s 3-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday having come off the bench as a substitute, Martial was rewarded with a starting place for the opening Champions League group stage fixture against Dutch champions PSV by Louis Van Gaal.

However, the teenager’s dream start to his career at Old Trafford almost took a turn for the worse as Van Gaal’s squad made their way from their hotel to the Philips Stadion on Tuesday evening. With the rest of the players all present, the bus had started to leave when it was discovered Martial was not on board.

Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial boards the Manchester United bus. Photograph: The Guardian

The £36m signing from Monaco then appeared from the hotel and the bus was stopped, allowing Martial to join his team-mates on board.

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