Martial’s career in United at a crossroads
LONDON: Sometimes, no matter how hard he tries, a player is simply not to his manager’s taste, and Anthony Martial seems to be in that predicament with Jose Mourinho.
Martial is still just 22 years old and an incredibly talented individual who introduced himself to Manchester United by scoring against Liverpool on his debut in 2015.
Yet now, the Frenchman’s career is at a crossroads. Stay at United and risk stagnating under Mourinho? Or leave for a new challenge, either in England or abroad?
As it stands, the latter is looking the likelier and better option for Martial, with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur among those monitoring his situation.
Martial was compared to compatriot Thierry Henry when he first arrived three years ago but was not named in the France squad for a World Cup they eventually won.
His troubles last season did not help. At Old Trafford, he has had to play a bit-part role — 30 minutes here, 15 minutes there, all while being occasionally criticised by his head coach.
The talent is there, however, and it occasionally bursts out. Martial is a quick, aggressive forward with quality dribbling ability but perhaps lacking in confidence after a difficult time.
Whether United would sell to a rival remains to be seen, though they have conducted business with Chelsea in the past, signing Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic. They also hold an interest in Tottenham centre-back Toby Alderweireld.
The price on his head is apparently at least £70million, and clubs will be asking themselves whether he is worth that chunk of change. In the modern market, you would say yes.
Martial has spent three seasons at United — one under Louis van Gaal and two under Mourinho. In 2015-16, he started 29 games. In 2016-17 and 2017-18, under his new manager, he started 18 apiece.
Last season, he achieved his greatest goals per 90 ratio to date (0.51, compared to 0.38 and 0.23 previously) and created more chances than ever before.
Compare his numbers to United’s other forwards, and there are encouraging signs.
Martial scored or assisted a goal on average every 117 minutes in all competitions in the last campaign. Alexis Sanchez averaged 192, Marcus Rashford averaged 128, while Romelu Lukaku averaged a slightly better 113.
United’s signing of Sanchez in January complicated matters for Martial. As if it wasn’t already difficult enough to tie down a starting spot in Mourinho’s side, he now had stiffer competition.
Martial started in only five league matches following Sanchez’s arrival — the fifth and final one in a 1-0 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion in May.
Mourinho then used his postmatch press conference at the Amex Stadium to criticise the forward. Answering an innocuous question, the Portuguese indicated that his performance against Brighton showed why he is not one of his starters.
Meanwhile, Sanchez has stayed put, being used on the left wing but often intruding on the space in the middle where a No 10 should roam. He has struggled for consistency since signing.
The 29-year-old Chilean will no doubt show improvements this season, given he has now had time to settle, but Martial’s chances seem few and far between.
Martial is a supremely talented player with plenty of potential. Chelsea are in the market for a winger, and Tottenham are known for seizing their opportunities. They could do a lot worse than Martial.