Scout Scribbles – Martial Concern for Van Gaal

Anthony Martial remains a major doubt for United’s trip to West Ham this evening. The Hammers, meanwhile, have no new injury concerns for their final match at Upton Park. Lamine Kone is passed fit for Sunderland’s vital home match with Everton, whilst Lukasz Fabianski will be rested for Swansea’s match with City on Sunday.

Martial unlikely to feature at Upton Park

Louis van Gaal has conceded that Anthony Martial – who suffered a hamstring injury in the warm-up at Carrow Road – remains a major doubt for this evening’s trip to West Ham. When quizzed on the player’s availability, the United boss went on to say:

“I cannot say because we have to wait. If his muscles are still tight I don’t take any risks because he is a very important player. We don’t want a rupture and that is very important for us.”

The Scout Says: Martial’s inability to feature against the Hammers would be a real blow for the 120,000 Fantasy managers that recruited the Red Devils’ form marksman for their double Gameweek. Owing to the Frenchman’s likely absence, Marcus Rashford – having been rested against Norwich City – should reclaim the lone-striker berth against a defence with a single clean sheet in eight, causing Wayne Rooney to drop back into midfield as Van Gaal’s side go in search of a win that would take them above City into fourth. Should Martial prove his fitness in time for the weekend, though, his owners might be tempted to hold if the Red Devils need a victory to seal a Champions League berth for next season. The Frenchman has scored or assisted in five of his last seven starts at Old Trafford and hosts a Bournemouth defence that ranks top for big chances conceded in away ties (41).

Fabianski set for weekend rest

Lukasz Fabianski revealed that he’s accepted Francesco Guidolin’s offer to rest before the Euros and will sit out Swansea City’s home encounter against Manchester City this weekend:

“I was asked if I wanted to play (at West Ham) or not, but I had trained all week so I said I did. It was not really about staying sharp ahead of the Euros – West Ham is a great stadium and I just wanted to play. I will go away now and have a break. Other players wanted a rest (before West Ham), but I wanted to wait. I will go away now and then prepare for the summer.”

The Scout Says: In spite of the no-shows from Gylfi Sigurdsson, Ashley Williams and Neil Taylor at the Boleyn Ground, the Swans still managed to upset the odds and beat West Ham in a 4-1 victory. Nonetheless, investors in the likes of Kevin De Bruyne (two goals in five) and Sergio Aguero (eight goals in six) will be encouraged by the prospect of the big-hitting duo testing stand-in shot-stopper Kristoffer Nordfeldt on his Premier League debut this coming Sunday. Indeed, should United fail to beat West Ham tonight, it would leave City in pole position to clinch fourth and give them everything to play for in Manuel Pellegrini’s final match in charge.

Kone passed fit for Toffees showdown

In yesterday’s press conference, Sam Allardyce confirmed that Lamine Kone has recovered from the minor thigh issue he picked up during Sunderland’s 3-2 win over Chelsea.

The Scout Says: Having started all of the Black Cats’ league fixtures since arriving in the January transfer window, Kone has proved vital to the Black Cats’ survival bid. With a win against Everton on Wednesday set to seal their safety, the Wearsiders (three clean sheets in six) will feel quietly confident about their chances of nullifying a blunted Toffees who have netted a paltry two goals in their last five road outings. Whilst Kone has brought stability, Patrick van Aanholt remains the prime route into the Wearsiders’ rearguard before a trip to Watford – the raiding left-back bagged an assist against Chelsea on Saturday and ranks joint-third among defenders for attempts (six) in his last quartet of starts.

No new injuries for Hammers

Slaven Bilic reported no fresh injury concerns following their heavy defeat to the Swans, meaning that Adrian (calf strain) is the only Irons player consigned to the treatment room:

“We had regeneration training on Sunday and some of them were not out there, but they should all be OK for Tuesday night. Of course we still have one training left between now and the game, but there is nothing major to report and all that.”

The Scout Says: Although – bar a miracle – West Ham are no longer in the discussion for the European places, Bilic’s troops should be motivated to serve up a fitting send-off for the Boleyn Ground following their collapse last weekend. Considering the wealth of forward options at the manager’s disposal, Andy Carroll’s 125,000 new owners will be hoping he retains his starting berth after a disappointing weekend display. Elsewhere among the Hammers’ attacking contingent, the 34% of voters who pinpointed Dimitri Payet as the premier captaincy pick will be hoping the Frenchman can bag his first goal in six starts and justify our collective show of faith.

Baggies hopeful on injured pair

West Brom pair Darren Fletcher and Jonny Evans are expected to recover from knocks sustained against Bournemouth on Saturday in time to line up against Liverpool next Gameweek. Meanwhile, Stephane Sessegnon is also likely to be available after missing the Dean Court encounter due to illness.

The Scout Says: The Baggies’ form at both ends of the pitch (three goals and zero clean sheets in six) leaves a lot to be desired, yet they next match up against a Reds outfit that’s likely to field a second-string XI ahead of the Europa League final on May 18. As such, there’s scope for the West Midlanders to furnish our squads with differential flavour on the last day of the Fantasy calendar. On that note, Craig Gardener ranked top for attempts (nine) and joint-top for shots inside the box (seven) among midfielders in his previous two starts, while Craig Dawson placed second for attempts (four) among defenders during that time frame.