"He will get you excited and then let you down" - Graeme Souness on 27-year-old star 'still starting matches' for Manchester United

By Bhargav

Modified Sep 12, 2023 16:34 GMT

Former Scotland player Graeme Souness looks on

Former Scotland player Graeme Souness passed his judgement on Anthony Martial starting for Manchester United, considering his underwhelming returns and inconsistency.

Martial, 27, arrived with much fanfare on a €60 million move from AS Monaco in the summer of 2015. The then 19-year-old scored on his club debut against Liverpool in a 3-1 Premier League win, but his performances since then have dwindled.

In 301 appearances across competitions, he has scored 88 times and provided 53 assists and has missed a whopping 79 games due to various injuries. In three games this season, Martial has accrued 132 cumulative minutes of action but has recorded no goal contribution.

Souness told The Express (via Manchester Evening News) that five years ago, he wrote an article that Martial was on his last life at Old Trafford. He has now addressed those claims, saying that the Frenchman will let United down.

He said:

"I wrote an article five years ago stating it was the last chance for Anthony Martial. Yet he's still starting matches as their main focal point in attack. He isn't a Man United player. He will get you excited and then let you down."

How have Manchester United fared this season?

Manchester United have had an underwhelming 2023-24 Premier League season so far. After opening their campaign with a rather fortuitous 1-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Erik ten Hag's side were undone in a 2-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur.

United returned to winning ways in their next outing - beating Nottingham Forest 3-2 - but not before the visitors had taken a surprise 2-0 lead inside five minutes at Old Trafford.

Staying ironically true to their inconsistent theme this season, the Red Devils succumbed to a 3-1 loss at arch-rivals Arsenal. Just as the game looked like ending 1-1, the visitors conceded twice in injury time to slump to their second league loss of the season.

Following the ongoing international break, Manchester United will return to action against Brighton & Hove Albion at home on September 16. Four days later, they will open their UEFA Champions League campaign against Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.