2024-04-29 02:07:48
We talk about the disastrous period of the “new Henry” at Old Trafford.
İdman.biz presents an article with a link to footballhd.ru.
Not long ago, a material was published in England about Anthony Martial, which said that he personifies the current Manchester United. Sometimes things work out, sometimes not so much, and sometimes (and lately more and more often) he is indifferent. It’s the same at Manchester United: in some cases the team pulls out a victory with incredible efforts, but in others they let everything take its course. But sooner or later this must end. The same applies to reconsidering cooperation with some players.
Martial was never a big star, but people always talked about him. It all started after the 2014/15 season, in which he scored 9 goals for Monaco in Ligue 1. The usual figure for a striker, and far from the highest possible. But the guy was 19 years old then. The French admired their compatriot, calling him “the new Henri.” In France, they felt, drawing such parallels, that the football player would soon find himself in the English Premier League.
Manchester United like to sign players who are talked about a lot. Whether he really suits the team is a secondary question. Perhaps even in France they were surprised when in the summer of 2015 the Mancunians paid 60 million euros for Martial. The Monegasques were super successful in selling a guy with only one normal (not outstanding) season. However, at first it seemed that this transfer could pay off. The Frenchman was considered a promising player, and already in his first season he scored 11 goals in the Premier League and gave 5 assists.
United signed Martial at the request of Louis van Gaal. Everything was fine between the player and the coach, but they only spent one season together, after which Jose Mourinho came to the club. This was bad news for the football player. Tensions developed between the French and the Portuguese. Jose demanded more from his ward and did not hesitate to criticize him at press conferences. Martial is the type of player who doesn’t respond well to pressure. Not only was he publicly criticized by his coach, but Manchester United also signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It is clear that not for the bench.
In the first season under Mourinho, the forward scored only 4 goals in the Premier League. The second campaign went better – the striker scored 9 goals in half a season. However, despite his good form, Martial suffered another blow in the form of Alexis Sanchez. No matter how the Frenchman performed, they made it clear to him in every possible way that they were not counting on him. Perhaps the 2018/19 season could have been the striker’s last at Manchester United, but he was lucky that the Mancunians fired Mourinho, appointing the much calmer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in his place. The Norwegian was called upon not so much to improve results as to improve the atmosphere in the team.
Martial had the opportunity to start over – and he took it. The forward scored 10 goals in the Premier League 2018/19 season, and in the next campaign he scored 17 goals. This was the best performance indicator of the striker’s career. But the problem is that he never repeated it. Martial has scored just 4 Premier League goals in the 2020/21 season. Then Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United and everything became very bad for the Frenchman. In half the 2021/22 season, he has played only 8 Premier League matches and scored 1 goal.
It couldn’t be said that the forward was in a temporary slump again. Five goals in a season and a half is already stagnation. The problem could be solved in two ways – the Mancunians chose a softer one and sent the footballer on loan. The second half of the 2021/22 season was supposed to be the start of something new for Martial. The Frenchman moved to Sevilla to revive his career. Ronaldo himself made a video for him, welcoming him to La Liga. But nothing came of it. The forward played only 9 matches in the Spanish Championship, without scoring a single goal. In five La Liga matches, he was not included in the squad at all.
The loan to Sevilla was a disastrous decision, but nothing good awaited Martial at Manchester United either. Over the entire last season, he scored only 6 goals in the Premier League, and in the current campaign he hardly appears on the field at all. The Frenchman last played on December 9, 2023. In that match, the Mancunians lost devastatingly to Bournemouth at home, conceding 3 unanswered goals. It will be sad if this match is the striker’s last at Old Trafford. In the meantime, everything is going that way.
Several reputable sources have reported that Martial will leave Manchester United at the end of the current season as a free agent. The club has the option to extend the agreement with the player, but, apparently, no one will undertake to activate it. Although it seems that the Frenchman has already spent his time with United for a long time. In a recent interview, Mourinho said that there are still players at Manchester United that he did not want to see in the team yet. Surely, the ex-Monaco striker is also on this list.
It is also worth recognizing that Martial was often plagued by failure. He received many injuries, due to which he could not consistently withstand a high level of physical activity, and sometimes coaching or personnel decisions let him down. But, be that as it may, the Frenchman himself often showed by his appearance that he did not seem to care. Phlegmatism and lethargy on the field, reluctance to run and give all the best than necessary, took their toll. These are exactly the qualities that current United coach Erik ten Hag does not like in his players.
It seems that Martial’s entire career at Manchester United is a coincidence. He was lucky to have a good season, after which he was immediately called to a top club. There he showed flashes of performance at the most opportune moments, so they extended his contract in the hope of seeing more stability. But the result of all this is quite sad. According to rumors, the Frenchman is already looking for a new club. He’s still under 30 and can still restart his career if he wants. The only question is whether the player himself wants it.
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