ANTHONY MARTIAL - HAS HE REALISED HIS POTENTIAL

Anthony Martial

Has he realized his potential?

“Manchester United fans, I’ve not heard them cheer as loud as that - I know it’s against Liverpool but there was a huge relief around the stadium. It was a big, big moment for a player making his debut. He’d been written off, almost, in some quarters in the last couple of weeks, before he’d started.” So had commented Gary Neville following Anthony Martial’s marvellous debut versus Liverpool in 2015. Of course, any goal against Liverpool is worth a double celebration. But this was the world’s most expensive teenager coming on as a second half substitute and scoring with his first shot. A 19‑year‑old from Monaco with only 11 league goals to his name prior to that match.

Born on the 5th December 1995, on the 1st September 2015 Anthony Jordan Martial completed a move to Manchester United from AS Monaco for £36 million, potentially rising to £58 million, on a four-year contract with the option of another year. This made him the world’s most expensive teenager, breaking

Many had raised their eyebrows when the transfer was completed, considering also that reportedly United will have to stump up another €10m (£7.6m) if Martial scores 25 league goals, €10m if he wins 25 caps for France and €10m if he is nominated for the Ballon d’Or award. That could total upwards of £60m. It also details that if United sell Martial for more than €60m (£45m), then Monaco will get half of the capital gains as part of the deal.

Anthony Marial had shown from an early age that he has bucketful of talent, even as being able to run in a straight line to the goal. Says Aziz Benaaddane, one of Martial’s coaches at Les Ulis, in 2015: “We’ve got 400 youngsters playing for us but a talent like that arrives only once every five or six years. We felt it, we saw the potential and we pushed him”. Mahamadou Niakite, another coach, reports that Martial was always put in higher age group due to his ability. While at around the age of 12–13 he was already focused on becoming a professional!

According to journalist Philippe Auclair, Martial plays in a style similar to former French international Thierry Henry, with speed and technical ability both in wide positions and up front. Many thus labelled Martial as the new Henry. Henry himself praised Martial after his goal scoring debut, while Martial himself refuted the comparison, saying “I don’t think we have the same type of game – he was very quick whereas I rely more on power and technique. But it’s always good to be compared to great players”.

In the aftermath of France’s 2–1 win over Denmark in October 2015, Fenerbahçe defender Simon Kjær was reportedly stunned after playing against him to learn that Martial was just 19. He told French newspaper L’Équipe, “He’s really good for 19. I didn’t know him when I was in France. He’s very, very hard to mark because he knows how to do a lot of things. Not only is he quick, but he’s also technically good.”

The Centre‑Forward Position In 2019, Christopher Simpson of Bleacher Report noted that Martial “...has pace to burn and the dribbling skills to accompany it, making him very difficult to defend against, and he’s a composed finisher in front of goal too.” Martial has said that he plays best and contributes most when playing up front; however “if the coach puts me on the wing then that means it is better for the team and for me that is the most important thing.” Thus although he has indeed been used as a centre-forward, he primarily plays on the left flank .

This season Martial has made a slow and disappointing start and his absence of goals has forced the boss to prefer to play Edison Cavani forward, an opportunity that the latter has taken with both hands. So questions began to be asked. Have we already seen the best of Anthony Martial? Martial’s position was certainly not improved when on the 4 October 2020 he received the first red card of his career for hitting out at Erik Lamela during United’s 1–6 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. He was later banned for three domestic games. Martial scored his first goal of the season, in the UEFA Champions League group stage match against RB Leipzig on the 28 October, slotting home United’s fourth goal in a 5–0 win. He only scored his first league goal of the season on the 17 December 2020 in a 3–2 away win against Sheffield United.

To conclude: When Louis Vaan Gaal brought Anthony Martial to Old Trafford at the end of 2015, he was still practically an unknown. The Press had even sent the cameras to his Paris suburb and interviewed his old coaches. Critics were calculating how many world-class players one could have bought in exchange for that hefty fee for his services. His Liverpool debut showed the world what he was all about. Goals followed, Martial scoring 23 goals to end last season as United’s top goalscorer

Thus it felt like he was on his way to proving himself as the Club’s No 1 centre forward.

However this season things have turned out diferently, with Martial’s United future being uncertain. United can play both Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood as centre forwards. We had the summer arrival of Edinson Cavani on a free transfer. This has inadvertently highlighted what Martial doesn’t offer United in the centre forward role, and what he may never be able to offer. Cavani may be eight years Martial’s senior but he is a more energetic presence as the fulcrum of this attack as well as a more consistent goalscorer. Both have seven goals this season but while Cavani’s are coming at a rate of 0.53 per 90 minutes, Martial’s are arriving at 0.33 per 90.

Nobody plays 250 games for Manchester United without being a good player, but there is still a question as to how Martial fits into the long-term development of this squad.