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Four years ago Manchester United signed Anthony Martial from AS Monaco with his initial fee of £36m making him British football’s most expensive teenager.
Less than a fortnight later the French star made his debut, brought on as a substitute against arch-rivals Liverpool, before going on a weaving run that culminated in Old Trafford erupting in shock and awe. “Forget the second Thierry Henry, this is the first Anthony Martial,” shrieked Martin Tyler in the commentary box, referring to the hype and bluster that accompanied the transfer. “Worth every penny”, he concluded.
Was the veteran broadcaster a touch premature in his assessment? It’s fair to say that he was, because in the seasons since that memorable introduction, the winger has proven himself to be a frustrating talent. A player who only occasionally shows glimpses of the seemingly nonchalant yet explosive ability that prompted the lofty, early comparisons.
In 177 appearances the Parisian has scored 50 goals and provided 30 assists, and there can certainly be an argument that those numbers are acceptable, bordering on impressive. What they mask, however, are too many ineffectual performances that must exasperate both his manager and the fans.
In April, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly singled out Martial after a particularly insipid display, focusing on his attitude and lack of application; this only four months after the player signed a bumper contract extension taking him up to 2024. This summer, meanwhile, former boss Jose Mourinho sharpened his claws, publicly stating Martial was ‘mentally weak’ and that he wanted to sell him during his tumultuous reign.
Reports in recent weeks and months had even suggested Solskjaer’s intention to sell his underwhelming attacker had been thwarted by the club’s board. It very much seemed like 2019/20 would be a continuation of Martial’s time in Manchester. Sometimes he’d be good, most times he would be anonymous.
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The off-loading of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez changed all of that however.
Now shorn of options up front, Solskjaer selected Martial in a central attacking role against Chelsea for the Reds’ opening fixture, with Marcus Rashford coming in off the left. Granted, it afforded Jose Mourinho the opportunity to have another pop from the pundit’s chair, but the reshuffling worked a treat. United ran out 4-0 winners with Martial grabbing their second in a role not unfamiliar to him having played there 45 times up to that point, according to Transfermarkt’s record.
An injury that befell the forward after United’s third league game means momentum might now be stalled. However, when the Frenchman returns from his lay-off, he should take solace and encouragement from the way he has started the current campaign. From those trio of games Martial has scored twice and provided an assist too.
Could it be that a revision of his role is resulting in a revision of his circumstances? Could it be that a switch inside was all it needed for the 23-year-old to possess a real purpose at United?
A similar positional change certainly did wonders for another French forward many moons back, but let’s discount that for now.
The lad has already had enough comparisons to Henry to last him a lifetime.