Erik ten Hag will unleash deadly forward against Aston Villa this evening

Man United boss Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Anthony Martial will be in the Red Devils squad when they take on Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup on Thursday evening.

The United vs Villa clash will conclude the third round of fixtures in the competition, with the game moved to Thursday for television coverage.

And Martial could line up against Unai Emery's side, as United look to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat to the same opposition in the Premier League on Sunday.

The France international has had an injury-hit campaign, dating back to the final week of pre-season.

Martial starred during tours of Australia and Thailand, and looked set to start the opening Premier League fixture against Brighton.

But, just days prior to the match, he was ruled out through injury.

Martial has contributed effectively when available this term. He has scored two goals and provided two assists in four league appearances, and netted in his only Europa League appearance against Omonia Nicosia last month.

But he has also missed 14 games as a result of his injury problems, and made his return from his latest knock via a 25-minute cameo in the Villa defeat.

And Ten Hag has given a positive update on the status of one of his star strikers.

Ten Hag on Martial

Speaking ahead of United's clash with Villa, Ten Hag confirmed Martial is very much in contention to play at least some part in the match at Old Trafford, if he is fully fit.

He explained: "Anthony Martial, for the last 20 minutes, was back at Villa, so we are happy with that.

"He will be in the squad, he will have minutes, definitely if he has recovered."

The news will come as a boost for the Red Devils, who still have two more games before the World Cup break.

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They travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday, knowing that a win will ensure they are in fifth place heading into the break. They could end up level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham if Antonio Conte's side lose against Leeds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

United could make a number of changes for tonight's Villa clash, with academy players Shola Shoretire, Noam Emeran and Di'Shon Bernard training with the first team ahead of the match.