22 July 2023 , 15:54
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Even for a club of Manchester United's stature, there have been few signings that have been met with such excitement and expectation as Anthony Martial.
The Red Devils forked out a whopping £58million on Martial, then a teenager, back in 2015 when he was being labelled as the next Thierry Henry. That comparison only continued when the Frenchman calmly slotted an effort into the bottom corner on his debut against fierce rivals Liverpool.
"The boy Anthony Martial, he can be anything," claimed legendary former boss Sir Alex Ferguson after Martial cruised to a Premier League Player of the Month award soon after his arrival at Old Trafford. All the signs seemed to point to the forward becoming one of the most lethal players in the division.
However, after Louis van Gaal was replaced by Jose Mourinho at the helm, things soon soured quickly.
Following a spell on the sidelines for Martial, the former Monaco man was publicly criticised by Mourinho in the press, which in turn prompted the United ace to go public with how the comments from his boss made him feel.
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"It’s true that I’d have preferred it if he’d told me directly, there’s no need to say it in front of everybody. After that, you definitely want to prove him wrong," he added. "He didn’t start me during the first few games and each time I came on, I scored. In the end, he told me: ‘You see, now you understand what I wanted’.
"It can get to you. You just want to show him you deserve to be on the pitch."
Jose Mourinho and Anthony Martial had a strained relationship (Matthew Peters/Getty Images)Mirror Football is now on Threads! You can follow us here.
Things continued to get worse under Mourinho to the point where Martial made clear he wanted to leave. The then-United manager was all too happy to try and facilitate that exit, but it is thought that co-ower Joel Glazer stepped in and blocked the move.
Thankfully for Martial, not too long after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arrived as the replacement for the sacked Mourinho. A former United striker himself, the Norwegian knew just what to do to boost the Frenchman's morale.
One of Solskjaer's first acts as United boss was to hand Martial the number nine shirt back, after initially having it stripped of him when Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrived. Martial told Canal+: "He [Solskjaer] sent me a message, he said 'Do you want to take your number nine shirt back?’
"I straight up said 'yes!' I said yes and he told me now it's up to you to show me [that you deserve it] every time you're on the pitch."
Solskjaer set Martial a 25-goal target, but it was one Martial failed to meet. Though his form certainly picked up under the United legend, not everyone was convinced.
Another club legend in Paul Scholes claimed that Martial had 'conned' people into thinking he was a centre-forward not too long after Edinson Cavani arrived to lead the line for the club.
Solskjaer met the same fate as Mourinho in late 2021 and was dismissed from his post, to be replaced on an interim basis by Ralf Rangnick. This sparked the beginning of another miserable spell for Martial, who publicly clashed with the German coach.
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Just a month into Rangnick's time at Old Trafford, he told the media that Martial had refused to be part of United's matchday squad for a game against Aston Villa. A claim that was swiftly and emphatically denied by the player himself.
Anthony Martial and Ralf Rangnick did not see eye-to-eye either (Manchester United via Getty Images)Taking to Instagram, Martial wrote: "I will never refuse to play a match for Man United. I've been here for 7 years and I never disrespected and never will disrespect the club and the Fans."
Soon after, Martial joined Sevilla on loan in an attempt to kickstart what was undeniably a flatlining career. It was an attempt that did not work, however, with the forward failing to score a single LaLiga goal during his stint in Spain.
He returned last summer with the aim of impressing Erik ten Hag, but the Dutchman's first campaign in the Old Trafford hot seat was one that saw Martial spend far too much time on the treatment table. While he made 21 league appearances, he actually failed to play a full 90 minutes in any of those outings.
Back in April, Ten Hag was asked if he could rely on Martial on a regular basis. He was typically honest as the United boss admitted: "It’s difficult to say because the history says different. I want him to be because he’s a great player – he definitely has the qualities to play in top football – and when he is fit our team plays better."
So, what now for Martial? Eight years at Old Trafford have passed by and ultimately, the France ace has failed to live up to the excitement and expectation that greeted his arrival.
Out of contract this time next year, this summer presents United's last chance to try and recoup some cash for Martial and it looks increasingly like that is what they will do. Just where he ends up, however, is an entirely different problem.
He has been linked with a Premier League stay via a move to Aston Villa, but it seems as if a number of Saudi clubs are now leading the charge for his signature. Were United to sign Atalanta striker Ramsus Hojlund and place Martial further down the pecking order, it would all but seal his Old Trafford exit.