Anthony Martial did not arrive with the Manchester United squad at The Lowry Hotel ahead of their trip to Everton on Sunday - but was spotted heading to Merseyside with them on Sunday morning.

Martial failed a fitness test before the 5-0 Europa League thrashing of Club Brugge on Thursday due to an apparent thigh injury and it was thought Odion Ighalo could to make his first Premier League start for United at Goodison Park. Ighalo last started a Premier League game on New Year's Day in 2017.

However, Martial was spotted leaving the Lowry with his teammates for Everton on Sunday morning - and got on the bus with them as they departed for Liverpool, meaning Solskjaer could be handed a team boost.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suggested Martial would have a scan on Friday to determine whether he would be available to travel to Merseyside. United are away at Derby County in the FA Cup fifth round on Thursday before the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on March 8.

"Odion has definitely shown what type of striker he is," Solskjaer said. "He's ready for that game on Sunday. I don't know about Anthony, to be honest. I've not asked. He tried this morning, so he wasn't that bad but we'll have to do a scan tomorrow probably."

Solskjaer says the embarrassment United suffered at Everton last season was his lowest moment as manager of the club. United were hammered 4-0 last April and Solskjaer questioned the commitment of some players, vowing, 'I'm gonna be successful here and there are players there that won't be part of that successful team'.

(Image: Eamonn and James Clarke)

Of the starters at Everton on Easter Sunday last year, only Romelu Lukaku has permanently left United, while Chris Smalling is at Roma on a season-long loan.

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Lukaku recently revealed he told Solskjaer in March he wanted to leave United at the end of the 2018-19 season, yet started five of their seven fixtures last April. Six players from the XI in the infamous defeat at Everton could feasibly line-up on Merseyside again on Sunday.

"That was the lowest I've been," Solskjaer said. "I think you all know that and remember that. That was a capitulation. We had absolutely nothing about us, even though their goals were more or less counter-attacks from set-plays and long throw-ins. Everything you didn't want to see you saw in that game.

(Image: Bruno Fernandes arrives)

"That was the day, the lowest. I knew probably before then but one or two had their last chance, more or less, but we had to get to the summer first. I'm not going to talk about Rom now. He's done well in Italy and we've coped well without him.

"I can, with hand on heart, 100 per cent say these boys will never give in and never give up like that team did. These are the boys we want to build the next team around.

"Against Everton at home [in December], they're hard to play against with two up front. They put players in the box and we knew what we were up against. I'm 100 per cent sure we'll put a better performance up."

United are unbeaten in seven across all competitions and could close the gap to Chelsea in fourth this weekend if they win at Everton. The January signing of Bruno Fernandes and the timing of the winter break in early February have reinvigorated Solskjaer's side, who are also in the last 16 of the FA Cup.

Solskjaer accepts his squad is a couple of players short of becoming a competitive force again, but is satisfied with United's progress after a tumultuous first five months of the campaign.

"It depends what you deem as long," Solskjaer added of United's consistent form. "We knew when we made the decisions we made in the summer it was going to take time.

(Image: Eamonn and James Clarke)

"As I've said a few times, Rome wasn't built in a day. The culture, the attitude, the fitness, the camaraderie, the team spirit and maybe even the understanding between players have improved.

"We have missed that box opener that Bruno is proving to be now. There was one or two pieces missing and we still know we miss one or two to be where we want to be, but it's a work in progress.

"Kieran [McKenna] and Michael [Carrick] are fantastic on the training ground with the coaching and the boys are willing to learn. And now we've got more and more fit players."

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Confirmed United squad members

David de Gea, Sergio Romero, Nathan Bishop, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Diogo Dalot, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Brandon Williams, Scott McTominay, Fred, Nemanja Matic, Andreas Pereira, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Daniel James, Bruno Fernandes, Tahith Chong, Mason Greenwood, Odion Ighalo