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What does the future hold for Manchester United’s Anthony Martial?
After a superb first season in English football, in which Anthony Martial finished as Manchester United’s top scorer, while helping them win the FA Cup, things were looking up for the Frenchman.
Jose Mourinho’s arrival seemed to suit Martial, with Portuguese manager favouring a counter-attacking style, which utilises pace out wide. The former Monaco man has such speed that it seemed likely he would form a key part in their set-up on the left-wing.
However, United do have competition for the spots out wide, with Jesse Lingard, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata, among others who can operate on the wing.
It would be Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s arrival that would cause the most problems for Martial, however. The Sweden international instantly claimed the striker role in United’s starting XI, meaning the young and in-form Marcus Rashford would have to operate on the left-wing.
This led to Martial being dropped after a string of unproductive performances and the Frenchman would go on to appear only 25 times in the league. This campaign was Martial’s worst to date.
The 21-year-old looked like he needed a string of games to find his feet and start performing, but he was never granted a run in the team, instead being limited to cup appearances and substitute cameos – he was subbed on or off in 19 of 25 games.
Speculation arose around Martial’s future as fans wondered whether he, like many others before him, was the individual in the squad that Mourinho didn’t quite fancy.
In January, reported that the Frenchman’s agent had received an offer from Sevilla for his client, but Mourinho encouraged Martial to stay and fight for his place, following Mkhitaryan’s example. The Armenian worked to regain his place in United’s side after a tough start to life in England.
Martial remained at United and helped the club claim both the League Cup and the Europa League, but heading into the summer, his future still isn’t certain. However, and have translated quotes from the forward’s agent Philippe Lamboley in French outlet , in which he said:
“Martial has two years left and there is no reason for him to leave Manchester today. If Ed Woodward tells me they want him to leave, things are different. But that is not what he told me during our last meeting.”
It seems, unless Ed Woodward and Mourinho decide otherwise, that Martial will be a United player come next season. As is often the case after a successful first season, players buckle under the increased expectations in their second term with a big club.
With less pressure on the Frenchman heading into the 2017/18 campaign, and the motivation to perform on the Champions League stage to gain a place in France’s 2018 World Cup squad, Martial could well be back to his best next season.
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