Manchester United had high hopes for Anthony Martial, with every right. He was the Golden Boy, the winner of the prestigious award, and he played outstandingly for Monaco, but he did not fulfil his potential. He had only one valid season at Old Trafford, and it was time to say goodbye. With all costs included (wage, clauses for goals etc.), the Frenchman took 60 million euros from the Red Devils. Too much for a player for which angry Roy Keane said that he ‘scores in every 14 years’. But there is always something positive, even when the news are bad. In this case, United can comfort themselves for not having to pay the full amount to Martial, who was bound to get 80 million, if certain conditions were met during his contract (like winning the Ballon d’Or). A substantial sum was invested in him, and the Red Devils got almost nothing for that cash. and they will let him go in June 2024. ‘Martial scores in every 14 years, Rashford looks like Martial’The French striker has entered the last year of his contract, and transfer guru David Ornstein from Athletic reports that another one will not be offered. Manchester United also does not intend to extend the cooperation with Antonio Martial until 2025, which they had as an option in the current deal, so the only real possibility to earn anything from the player would be January 2024 if somebody offers a reasonable sum. Otherwise, he will be free to negotiate with any club and leave as a free agent at the end of the season. It seems that even with all the costs, this is by far the smartest decision the United brass has made in 2023. Manchester United used to be great. Now it’s just bigFrom the beginning of his career, Anthony Martial was faced with a lot of pressure; he was compared in France to Thierry Henry. He didn’t know how to deal with that burden upon his arrival at Manchester United, where the pressure grew even more. He struggled with injuries, entered into an open conflict with Jose Mourinho, and later had disagreements with Ralf Rangnik. The previous season, he was also on loan in Sevilla. He tried to revive his career there, but the performance was rather modest, meagre – a goal and an assist. He returned to Old Trafford to leave. He did not convince Erik ten Hag and the rest of the sports sector that they should activate the clause and extend it for another year. He had his chances since the forward line at Old Trafford is suffering from a goalscoring crisis, but even then he did nothing to prove he is worth something and just missed the last opportunity. ##NAJAVA_MECA_7729506##
