Should we give up on Anthony Martial?

[RUCK4444]

In answer to the OP… I’d urge anybody who hasn’t already given up on him to book an appointment at specsavers pronto.

He’s either lazy or incapable of making the necessary runs and giving his all for the shirt, which is the fecking basics, no fan of this club should accept that.

Last season was nothing short of disgraceful, it peaked in a game (I forget which as I’ve tried to blank it from memory) where he repeatedly lost the ball and make zero effort to chase back after doing so, instead leaving the likes of Bruno (our single most creative and best player) to run back and chase the ball instead, whilst he just looked to the sky and huffed.
Yeah nice one Tony, you give the ball away and ensure our best player is back in our half chasing down the balls you’ve lost all game while you shuffle about lad. Still furious

 

[KW2006]

If someone is will to pay 50-60m for him, we should cash in.

 

[Focusmate]

If he wasn't on 250k a week I think we could sell him but I just cant see anyone being interested at that pay level. Would Levy really break their wage structure for Martial?
I think he is here for the rest of his contract, like Pogba, and then he will move on.
Overpaying our players means we cant shift them on if they fall down the pecking order.
Isn't Phil Jones on a high wage too?

 

[Gary_Walsh_Nou_Camp_Hell]

Martial was joint 8th in the Prem League top scorer list in 19/20. He at least earned a chance to repeat last season.

4 goals in 22 appearances in 20/21 is really very absymal however.

Is joint 8th meant to be impressive for a United forward?

 

[dinostar77]

Offer PSG Martial plus 100, 120 million for Mbappe. Wouldn't get a better chance than this of getting Mbappe.

PSG have offered Mbappe £450,000k a week. Not including all the other bonuses on top of that. No one is going near that.

 

[Idxomer]

Is joint 8th meant to be impressive for a United forward?

He scored 17 goals with no penalties which I believe is the most for any United forward post-Fergie.

 

[dronesoul]

Now 6 years at the club, his best moments have come in streaks. I think many of us gave up hope on him for the entirety of last season. Cavani also showed us what a proper striker looks like.

I just don't see him as a guy that has the fight in him. As things stand there also isn't much of a place for him but that can easily change with form.

FW: Cavani (Greenwood, Martial)
LW: Rashford (Sancho, Martial, James, Pogba)
RW: Sancho (Greenwood, Diallo, James)

There's a player in there but unfortunately, we haven't seen it consistently. What do we do with him?

Definitely let him go, if he wants to. At the very least use him as backup until he grabs a chance and from that game on scores 0.75 goals per league game, until the end of a season. That rate means you score 28-29 goals in the league if you play every single game. hi

Until he does that keep him as backup and let him decide if he wants to fight for it or not.

But I doubt he’ll accept something that, at least not for a long time. He’d want to play more games and leave for a club slightly less rich and not entirely shit.

So he’ll probably join West Ham, score 34 league goals and help them win their very first title. Just like all our failed centre forwards do.

 

[stepic]

He’s a great squad player to have.

 

[Tom Cato]

Is joint 8th meant to be impressive for a United forward?

17 Premier League goals on the season is surely acceptable?

 

[OverratedOpinion]

He’s a great squad player to have.

My feeling exactly, even if someone offers a fee that is in line with his top level then we will still need to spend nearly as much to sign a backup who is as capable. Even that is ignoring the fact that he could easily have a great season next year and score over 25 which he nearly did the season before last. Just no value in selling him unless he kicks up a fuss.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

Is joint 8th meant to be impressive for a United forward?

If he was our penalty taker and scored half of them that season then he would have had 35 goals in all competitions, i.e. more than Harry Kane has ever scored in a season. What I am saying is that 24 goals in open play for a 23 year old (at the time) is quite good.

 

[Gary_Walsh_Nou_Camp_Hell]

17 Premier League goals on the season is surely acceptable?

17 goals certainly sounds better than joint 8th top scorer!

I would still argue that we need much better than our main forward getting 17 goals though

 

[stepic]

17 goals certainly sounds better than joint 8th top scorer!

I would still argue that we need much better than our main forward getting 17 goals though

he's not going to be our main forward though. he's fine providing back up to both striker and left wing.

Cavani and Greenwood should be competing for first choice, Martial can also step in when needed. Greenwood can also provide support on the right wing too.

 

[Jibbs]

PSG have offered Mbappe £450,000k a week. Not including all the other bonuses on top of that. No one is going near that.

United is paying 375k per week to Spain's third choice keeper who is on a decline since last three years and probably sells zero merchandise and has no marketability. For a superstar like Mbappe, they can easily pay even 600k.

 

[cyril C]

If he wasn't on 250k a week I think we could sell him but I just cant see anyone being interested at that pay level. Would Levy really break their wage structure for Martial?
I think he is here for the rest of his contract, like Pogba, and then he will move on.
Overpaying our players means we cant shift them on if they fall down the pecking order.
Isn't Phil Jones on a high wage too?

I think Jones is on 80-90K, not expensive in todays standard. yet no-one will pay anything, 30K or 80K, spending more time flirting the nurse than football players.

 

[Kaos]

He’s a great squad player to have.

Is he though? Precedence has shown us that he tends to sulk if he's not the main man, we saw a dip in his performances - first when we signed Zlatan and then Cavani. I'm inclined to think he won't be entirely motivated as a squad option. Would rather give his minutes to Greenwood/Amad.

 

[Hughes35]

I gave up on him a long time ago.

So did I mate. Years ago. I find it amazing that some fans still see something in him.

 

[Leftback99]

So did I mate. Years ago. I find it amazing that some fans still see something in him.

Our players who play with him every day also saw something in him to vote him player of the year last season.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

Martial plus cash for Haaland please.

 

[Abraxas]

Hoping Martial is going to come good is a complete waste of time, he should be at his peak. Most of it is related to attitude anyway so until he actively participates with those weaknesses instead of seeming to blame everybody else for things that go wrong on the pitch we'll never see consistency from him.

Nor will any other club, at best they'll see a short term lift in performance due to new motivations, however this is likely to be short lived. Clubs know this so quite unsurprisingly nobody would be keen to take on his massive wages or even a large fraction of them in exchange for what he gives. Nor would they want to pay a large fee for him, they are more likely to want a loan to assess him before committing too much to this player.

We made a massive mistake paying Martial far, far too much money for the level of player he is which leaves us with very few appealing options. They seem to come down to praying he plays better and maybe improves his stock, loaning him out, or maybe taking poor money to get rid.

 

[MattofManchester]

What exactly is the point of this thread?

He's still a Manchester United player. As long as he's here, we have to hope he steps it up. At the end of the season, we can debate whether it's better for him to stay or go, but given we know he's staying, we NEED him to come good. And should support him in that regard.

Giving up on a player who operates in a role where we lack depth is daft.

 

[yamo123x]

What exactly is the point of this thread?

He's still a Manchester United player. As long as he's here, we have to hope he steps it up. At the end of the season, we can debate whether it's better for him to stay or go, but given we know he's staying, we NEED him to come good. And should support him in that regard.

Giving up on a player who operates in a role where we lack depth is daft.

Find it difficult to support someone who showed little or no effort last season when the fans werent in the stadium. He was ultra arrogant and was deservedly criticised.
He has potential to be awesome player but he needs to take a look at himself and win back many of the fans who like me were mega frustrated with his efforts last year.
He is at the biggest club in the world, least you can do is try. Competition for his place might be a good thing.

 

[FiftChoice]

I hope Martial stays and succeeds in the end. He does infuriate me when he’s not on song and looks disinterested - so I understand people disliking him for that.

But, I’m a patient guy, and Martial has so much god damn talent. He’s one of the best, if not the best, manipulators of the ball in the team. When he’s on song he’s excellent and he’s had spells when I have had no problem what so ever with his effort in pressing, general work load etc. So I know he can do it if he wants to.

I’m just dreaming about the day it all clicks for him, because there’s a great player in there. A bit similar as Nani in that way. Tons of talent, did outrageous stuff, but flattered to deceive a bit too often. Still gave us a superb season where I believe he was voted POTY? And then a combination of injury, Valencia being more trusted, and the fecking red card against Madrid (fecking Cnut Cakir, still fuming!!) conspired against him.

Anyways, just as I always hoped that Nani with a bit more trust could have continued delivering to a satisfying standard, I think similarly with Martial.

In a setup of technical players with Greenwood, Sancho, Bruno etc. A martial on form is a really good addition which gives us a lot of flexibility.

He just needs to sort his head a little, maybe it’s about maturity(?), and understand how much graft is needed to really succeed. So yeah, I’m not ready to give up on him yet. Probably I’ll be disappointed in the end, but I’m willing to take that chance as players with the innate skillset
of the Nanis and the Martials aren’t that common and when they work they bring so much joy and excitement

 

[TheRedDevil2019]

My feeling exactly, even if someone offers a fee that is in line with his top level then we will still need to spend nearly as much to sign a backup who is as capable. Even that is ignoring the fact that he could easily have a great season next year and score over 25 which he nearly did the season before last. Just no value in selling him unless he kicks up a fuss.

Except we have a slight issue in that the player is known to sulk and cause issues behind scenes. Martial will never accept being second or third choice, yet cannot justify being first pick.
For the sake of dressing room unity, Ole and the club would have a far easier job just getting rid.

 

[Bastian]

He’s a great squad player to have.

If he's up for it, yes. No doubt. I also doubt there's a market for him at the moment.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

Except we have a slight issue in that the player is known to sulk and cause issues behind scenes. Martial will never accept being second or third choice, yet cannot justify being first pick.
For the sake of dressing room unity, Ole and the club would have a far easier job just getting rid.

Is he actually known to cause issues in the dressing room? I have never read anything like that and always assumed his persona as a "sulk" was partially because he does not smile that much and partially because Anelka was a black French striker and people like easy comparisons.

 

[Leonzo1]

He’s a great squad player to have.

Disagree. I was a big Martial fan but I get the feeling that if he's not first choice he's just not going to be arsed. A great squad player is a player who will give his all when given a chance and try to prove himself. Unfortunately Anthony Martial is the exact opposite of that description.

 

[Nogbadthebad]

United is paying 375k per week to Spain's third choice keeper who is on a decline since last three years and probably sells zero merchandise and has no marketability. For a superstar like Mbappe, they can easily pay even 600k.

Wages don't exist in isolation.

Sign one on £600K a week, sooner or later, you will have bruno, pogba and others wanting parity.

 

[TheRedDevil2019]

Is he actually known to cause issues in the dressing room? I have never read anything like that and always assumed his persona as a "sulk" was partially because he does not smile that much and partially because Anelka was a black French striker and people like easy comparisons.

Duncan Castles drops intriguing claim over “lazy” Man Utd flop, fans should be buzzing - opinion (msn.com)

I wouldn't label Martial a flop personally, more a case of a player that had moments of brilliance with an untapped potential that needs unlocking. What's clear to me is that its unlikely we will see that Martial at Old Trafford.

The article above suggests Martial will head to Real in a swap for Varane. I'd be happy with that to be honest, a fair deal for all concerned.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

Duncan Castles drops intriguing claim over “lazy” Man Utd flop, fans should be buzzing - opinion (msn.com)

I wouldn't label Martial a flop personally, more a case of a player that had moments of brilliance with an untapped potential that needs unlocking. What's clear to me is that its unlikely we will see that Martial at Old Trafford.

The article above suggests Martial will head to Real in a swap for Varane. I'd be happy with that to be honest, a fair deal for all concerned.

So Duncan Castles says that Ole is "tired of his attitude". No mention of any incidents, any times he was actually difficult, nothing. I am not having a pop at you and am not fussed if I am proven wrong and there actually are a bunch of stories about him being difficult. I just have never seen them myself and when I just googled "Martial dressing room problem" the only thing that came up was something about him and Lukaku not getting on.

 

[Idxomer]

If Duncan Castles is your source

 

[Scottynaldinho]

He's going to be the star of the season for us as there are no expectations from him. Looking lean already and been training intensely. He shines when there's no spotlight on him.

 

[dal]

If we could get £40 million for Martial that would be great. £100 million for Lingard and Pogba, then we can pay for Grealish and a midfielder.

 

[sp_107]

Disagree. I was a big Martial fan but I get the feeling that if he's not first choice he's just not going to be arsed. A great squad player is a player who will give his all when given a chance and try to prove himself. Unfortunately Anthony Martial is the exact opposite of that description.

True..We should get rid of him and replace with soneone decent who will be a team player

 

[Jibbs]

Wages don't exist in isolation.

Sign one on £600K a week, sooner or later, you will have bruno, pogba and others wanting parity.

But we are paying a past it keeper 375k per week and not having any parity issue.

 

[RedDevil@84]

But we are paying a past it keeper 375k per week and not having any parity issue.

Pogba would want 400k in new deal. If Bruno continues carrying the team, even he would ask for big money.
Parity can be demanded by high profile or players in big form. You don't expect Fred to ask for 300k, because he would be asked to leave. But he may still ask for a higher than normal amount. because the club is paying unrealistic salaries for some others.

using Fred as an example only.

 

[Canuckred64]

Ideally we need depth at every position if possible, if Martial is willing to be a squad player than keep him. The question is , is he willing to be an occasional starter and an impact sub than great, if he can't accept that role and we can sell him for a reasonable fee than he needs to go.

 

[Commentary]

I would rather sell Daniel James than Martial, as Martial can play on both the left and as a striker, and has more natural talent than the former.

Keep him for at least one more year, and than review.

 

[Foxbatt]

Martial this year has missed more sitters than he ever has. Previous to this season you can bet your house that he is going score when one on one. So it is not for his lack of trying that he has not scored this season. He is missing too many this season.
That has to be evaluated and the coaching staff needs to get him to sort out his issues. I think that he is taking an extra touch a lot of times. I think Ole has handled him well on a man management side. I only wish that sometimes Ole would go two up with Cavani and Martial up front with Martial dropping deep to get the ball.

 

[King Azaz the Unabridged]

So Duncan Castles says that Ole is "tired of his attitude". No mention of any incidents, any times he was actually difficult, nothing. I am not having a pop at you and am not fussed if I am proven wrong and there actually are a bunch of stories about him being difficult. I just have never seen them myself and when I just googled "Martial dressing room problem" the only thing that came up was something about him and Lukaku not getting on.

Duncan Castles is also a Mourinho-bot, probably one of the biggest and most unashamed ones in the press.

So if he's the only one peddling this story, chances are it's complete bollocks