Martial on His Way Out This Summer?
When Anthony Martial arrived at Manchester United from Monaco on the 1st September 2015, the £36 million was the highest fee paid for a teenager. The young Frenchman broke the record held by Luke Shaw, when he joined Manchester United from Southampton and Marquinhos, when the Brazilian left Roma for Paris Saint-Germain.
There was not a great deal known in England about Martial at the time of his transfer but he did not take long to introduce himself to the Old Trafford faithful. Having come on to the pitch in place of Juan Mata with 25 minutes remaining on the clock, Martial scored his first goal for the club against Liverpool in a 3-1 win.
There is no better way to introduce yourself to the Manchester United fans than by scoring against their bitter rivals.
Its always a great relief for a forward player to score his first goal for a new club but it wasn’t only the fact Martial has scored, it was the way in which he did it. Having picked the ball up on the left side of the penalty area, Martial slalomed his way thorough the Liverpool defence before opening his right foot to caress the ball into the bottom corner.
It was a magnificent moment for the player and great things were expected of Martial following that strike.
Just 8 days later, Martial was at it again, netting twice in an away win at Southampton. Again, it wasn’t just the fact Martial had scored, it was the quality of the goals which stood out and even former manager, Alex Ferguson, was quick to praise the player.
Martial finished the 2015/16 season as the club’s top scorer and started the following season, under Jose Mourinho, in the starting XI. However, it didn’t last long and Martial lost his place following some disappointing performances. He has since found it difficult to nail down a regular place in the team and Martial’s form has dipped further as a result.
Premier League game against Brighton and Hove Albion
On Friday night, in a Premier League game against Brighton and Hove Albion, Martial was given a chance to start in the absence of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez. Manchester United lost the game 1-0 and after the match, Mourinho spoke about his forward players, saying, “For 10 months I get asked ‘why always Lukaku? Why always Lukaku, why always Lukaku? Why always this player? That guy doesn’t have a chance to start, the other one is on the bench.’ You know why now.”
These are damning comments and while Mourinho fails to mention any names, Martial must know his manager is talking about him and possibly Marcus Rashford.
There were rumours last season regarding the future of Martial at Old Trafford and these have resurfaced with more intensity in recent weeks.
Juventus have been strongly linked with a move for the player and the Daily Mirror have reported they could make a £44 million move in the summer. The French forward has also been linked with Arsenal and Manchester United have shown they are not afraid to deal in the transfer market with the Gunners.
A summer move may be good for both player and club and Martial is 2/1 to join Juventus and 25/1 to line-up for Arsenal next season.