It had been suggested that the duo could be part of United’s deal for Alexis Sanchez (Picture: Getty)
It had been suggested that the duo could be part of United’s deal for Alexis Sanchez (Picture: Getty)

Henrikh Mkhitaryan does not make Manchester United’s squad to face Stoke City but Anthony Martial starts amid rumours linking both players with moves to Arsenal.

The Red Devils are closing in on a £30m deal for Gunners star Alexis Sanchez after hijacking Manchester City’s move, with many reports claiming that a player could be offered in exchange.

Mkhitaryan and Martial have both been mooted as potential makeweights in a deal for the Chilean, though the prospect of the Frenchman being on the verge of a transfer seems unlikely given that he starts at Old Trafford.

Sanchez missed Arsenal’s defeat to Bournemouth, with his future to be decided imminently (Getty)

The match is United’s first outing in over a week, since the FA Cup third-round victory over Derby, and the squad flew out to Dubai for some mid-season warm-weather training in between.

Martial had been a doubt due to a knock picked up in training, though passed a late fitness test, while Mkhitaryan was fit and available for the match.

Mkhitaryan has struggled for form since the start of the season, when he registered five assists (Getty)

The Armenian was hauled off after just 45 minutes of his last outing against Derby and has been heavily linked with a January transfer, potentially in a swap deal for Sanchez.

Inter Milan are also thought to be interested, and manager Jose Mourinho recently admitted that ‘every player has a price’ when asked about the former Dortmund playmaker.

Elsewhere, Antonio Valencia earns his first start in almost a month after recovering from injury, having missed United’s last four Premier League matches – only one of which they won, against Everton.