The French winger was left out of the crucial midweek clash.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed the real reason for Anthony Martial's omission in Wednesday's clash, According to the Norwegian manager, the French winger picked up an injury in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Aston Villa, hence his absence.

The 23-year-old forward was out of sorts in the trip to Villa and subsequently came under massive criticism for failing to snatch the win for his side with a late goalscoring opportunity. However, the former Monaco star's importance to Solskjaer's side cannot be understated as he has managed to register five goals in 12 appearances, missing a chunk of games through injury.

Ahead of Wednesday's crucial encounter with Tottenham, the matchday squad suggested that Martial might have no role to play and Solskjaer later disclosed the motivation behind the striker's omission.

"Anthony, he got a slight injury on Sunday, so he will be out for a little while," he told MUTV.

The extent of the injury still remains unknown but the news could come as a huge blow for the Manchester United ahead of its busy schedule in the festivities.

The Reds Devils are set to take on Manchester City in the Manchester derby on Saturday before they take on AZ Alkmaar in their final Europa League Group L game.