Erik ten Hag could go against Joel Glazer's wishes with brutal transfer decision

12 September 2023 , 13:13

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Erik ten Hag could go against Joel Glazer's wishes with brutal transfer decision

Manchester United could yet decide against activating the one-year option in Anthony Martial's contract and release the Frenchman as a free agent at the end of the campaign.

Martial, 27, has been at Old Trafford since leaving Monaco back in 2015 but has failed to live up to expectations. The striker, who has been plagued by numerous injury issues, has scored 88 goals for the club but struggled to stay fit during Erik ten Hag's maiden year in charge.

And after the Dutchman spent £72million to bring Rasmus Hojlund to United in the summer transfer window, Martial is likely to be handed a supporting role this term.

However, a new report from The Manchester Evening News has outlined that things could, in fact, be even bleaker for Martial, who is now inside the final year of his contract. And although Manchester United have an option to extend that agreement by a further year, they could decide to part ways with Martial next summer if he is unable to recapture his form.

While it's unlikely Ten Hag would take such a decision at this early stage of the season, it remains to be seen how the Old Trafford hierarchy would react should Martial depart the club as a free agent.

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Club co-owner Joel Glazer is known to be a big fan of the striker and even stepped in to prevent former boss Jose Mourninho from selling Martial during his stint in the Manchester United hotseat.

Join the debate! Do you think Man Utd should get rid of Martial? Let us know here.

Anthony Martial could be released by Manchester United next summer (John Patrick Fletcher/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock)

While Glazer may be against the idea of moving Martial on, former United favourite Andy Cole made it clear that he was less than impressed with the striker's goal record earlier this week.

Cole, who was part of the iconic treble-winning side of 1999, cannot believe that Martial has failed to hit a century of goals for United - even though he's been at the club for eight years.

He told BetFred: "Martial has been at Manchester United for 8 years now and he hasn't even scored 100 goals. It's incredible. He is a centre-forward at Manchester United and he has played in some fantastic teams.

"His best performance in the league was 17 goals. He’s had more than enough time and opportunity to show United just how good he is and he unfortunately hasn't been able to do so."

Dan Marsh