Anthony Martial and Matteo Darmian return to training ahead of Manchester United clash against Southampton

Manchester United have received a double injury boost ahead of their game against Southampton on Saturday (30 December) after Anthony Martial and Matteo Darmian returned to training on Thursday.

The duo missed the Red Devils' 2-2 draw against Burnley on Boxing Day through injury but seem to have recovered in time for the visit of the Saints. Jose Mourinho will require the entire depth of his squad as they play three games in the next eight days.

Martial missed the clash against Sean Dyche's team with a minor knee injury, but was pictured training with the rest of the first-team squad on Thursday, which indicates that he could return to the match day squad for the game against Southampton. Martial has been impressive this season scoring eight goals and assisting seven in 27 appearances in all competitions, and was a big miss during the game against Burnley as United struggled to create chances in the final third.

According to Manchester Evening News, Darmian also returned to training ahead of the weekend fixtures and his return will be a welcome boost for the manager, who is short of defensive players at the moment.

Antonio Valencia is out with a hamstring injury and the Italian right-back can provide cover in the upcoming games. The Portuguese coach is also without Eric Bailly, who is a long-term absentee after suffering an ankle injury that now requires surgery.

Apart from the defensive duo, midfielders Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick are also on the side lines and are not expected to return until the New Year. The former is recovering from a knee injury he sustained while on international duty with Belgium, while the latter is recovering from a heart problem, which has prevented him from playing since September.

The shortage of first-team players has seen Mourinho promote a number of youth-team players to train with the first-team squad. United's official website reported that Callum Gribbin, RoShaun Williams, Angel Gomes, Matthew Olosunde, Demetri Mitchell and Joshua Bohui were all part of the training session ahead of the game against Mauricio Pellegrino's men on Saturday.