Anthony Martial is set to return to training with Manchester United on Thursday but is still expected to face a club fine from José Mourinho after his early departure from their US tour.
Martial left United’s tour before the game against Milan last Wednesday to attend the birth of a son, Swan Anthony, in Paris. After United’s final tour game, the 2-1 win over Real Madrid in Miami on Wednesday, the manager said he did not know when the Frenchman would be back.
Yet later the same day Martial tweeted: “My little Swan is fine, for the mum it was harder but thanks to God she’s better now. Sorry but my family will always come first … Back tomorrow in Manchester.”
Martial wants to leave United because of a lack of game-time, with the manager reluctantly minded to allow him to go, and faces a fine of up to £180,000 for his failure to return to training earlier under the supervision of Mourinho’s staff.
The manager pointedly praised the majority of his squad’s attitude at the end of a tempestuous five-game tour. Goals from the lively Alexis Sánchez and Ander Herrera gave United victory against Mourinho’s former club Real.
“With the fantastic spirit we have in the majority of the players – I repeat, in the majority of the players, we have a fantastic spirit – we go with everything we have for the start of the Premier League,” said Mourinho, who revealed that the Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku has cut short his holiday by three days to return to training.
United play Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Sunday in their final warm-up game before beginning the Premier League season with a Friday night home game against Leicester on 10 August.
