As Manchester United splashed the cash this summer, with Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho arriving, talk turned to possible departures.

Quite a lot of people speculated that the Old Trafford club could be about to offload Anthony Martial to Inter Milan (Source Daily Mail).

But The Metro newspaper are now stating that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to keep the French forward.

The twenty-five year old has been a pretty mixed bag since joining United in 2015.

His best year came in the 2019-20 season, where he scored twenty-three goals and seventeen of those came in the Premier League. But he was hampered by injuries last term and his form seriously dipped, notching just four league goals.

There’s no doubting Anthony’s ability and he has the potential to be a truly world class attacker. The doubts come when it comes to his desire and consistency, he simply hasn’t shown enough as a Red Devil.

Martial possesses electric pace that absolutely scares defenders. Add that terrifying speed to his neat close control and that makes him even more dangerous when he enters the opposition’s final third.

The Les Bleus international is also a very cute finisher. He has the ability to open up his body and guide his finishes beyond keepers, much like Thierry Henry used to do. Unfortunately he just hasn’t hit the stats Henry managed in the Premier League.

This season has to be the biggest yet in Antony Martial’s career. If he wishes to stay at Man United, then he has to start taking games by the scruff of the neck and regularly find the back of the net.

Sancho’s arrival should help. The English star proved he can be an assist master with Bundesliga cracks Borussia Dortmund. He’ll certainly give the team more of a threat on the right-side, which they’ve needed for a while now.

Martial’s pace and control should also be ideal for the likes of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes who should be able to pick out any runs in behind opponents.

Yes he’ll face competition for places. Mason Greenwood is improving all the time, Edinson Cavani is a proven goal-getter and Marcus Rashford like Martial has to prove he can be more lethal in front of goal.

Last Christmas, Solskjaer said that he has asked Martial to provide more for the team and that the forward responded excellently:

“Anthony has made some important contributions lately, assists and he has scored goals, he is getting fitter,”

“I think he showed against Leeds, and he knows that I am onto him about this, that his running stats have set a new standard for him, which I want to see more from. “

Via ManUtd.com

Anthony Martial needs to get back to full fitness and prove himself to be a top player at Manchester United. This could be his last year to do so.

It’s quite possible that Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe could all be available next summer. An elite club like United would have to be interested in bringing one of those names to Old Trafford, especially if their forward-line has been misfiring.

I honestly believe Martial has all the tools available to him to be a true star. He needs to work harder and believe in himself more. If he can do that and grab more than twenty league strikes this term, then he should be able to go up to that elite level!

Posted on August 12th, 2021 by scott
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