Manchester United should hold on to Anthony Martial at all costs

Manchester United’s French winger Anthony Martial is still unhappy with his position at the club and wants an exit upon the expiry of his contract next summer, claims the Mirror.

The 22-year-old wanted to depart Old Trafford this summer following his strained relationship with Jose Mourinho and his slip down the pecking order but chose to give himself more time to come to a decision. Finally, he has decided that he doesn’t want to sign a new contract as he believes that his career has stalled at the Old Trafford. (h/t Mirror)

When former United manager Louis van Gaal signed Martial from Monaco back in 2015, he was regarded as one of the hottest young properties in Europe who had the ability to spearhead the attack for the Red Devils in the years to come. United broke the bank to sign the Frenchman in a deal that cost them £36 million, which rose to about £58 million with add-ons.

Quite understandably, a lot was expected from Martial when he made the switch to the Premier League and it would be hard to say that he hasn’t delivered. Given that he is still only 22, he has already shown enough promise which should tempt the club to convince him to stay beyond his current contract.

To be honest, Martial has been unable to cement his place in the starting XI under Jose Mourinho’s tenure. In the 2016/17 season, Martial made only 25 appearances in the Premier League, out of which only 18 were starts. Still, he managed to chip in with 4 goals and 6 assists. It was the same story with him last season as well where he made 30 appearances in the league, only 18 of which were starts and still he managed to register 9 goals and 5 assists.

Statistics prove that he is an impact player who has the ability to change the complexion of the game. At times, he has been deployed by the manager as a trump card or a super sub from the bench where he has also produced the desired results.

Despite showing a lot of promise and delivering the goods, Martial hasn’t been able to impress Jose Mourinho. In fact, things haven’t changed for him this season. The 22-year-old has made 6 appearances in the Premier League, two of which have come from the bench. He has probably been the brightest spark amongst a rather subdued and uninspired United forward line.

Martial combined brilliantly with Paul Pogba to score the equalizer for Manchester United on their route to a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Newcastle United after going 2-0 down in the first half.

The former Monaco man is a livewire in the attacking third and has the versatility to play in multiple positions in the forward line. Although he has been deployed as a left forward, he is equally adept at playing the role of a centre-forward.

Not only does he have the pace and agility to beat the defenders but also has the awareness and the presence of mind of an instinctive centre-forward. The 22-year-old has a deadly eye for goal and is a clinical finisher, something that United lack at the moment.

Suffice to say, a player of Martial’s calibre is an invaluable asset to the club and the Red Devils should do everything in their power to convince him to stay at Old Trafford. They should give him more regular minutes not only because a player of his quality deserves to play more but also because he is someone who tends to grow in confidence when given a series of consecutive starts.

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As things stand, United need reinforcements in multiple areas to post a serious challenge for the title, Furthermore, they have as many as ten players who are out of contract next summer, which is not an ideal situation for any club to be in.

That said, Manchester United should make every effort to convince Martial to stay at the club and offer him a new lucrative contract at the earliest.