5 reasons why Anthony Martial should leave Manchester United to improve his game

#4 He’s young enough to step down and then step back up

Martial's current teammate Romelu Lukaku developed his game at a smaller club in his youth

For many players, it’d be very hard to stomach a move away from a club the size of Manchester United. When United sell a player – unless it’s a move like Cristiano Ronaldo’s to Real Madrid – it usually means you haven’t been able to cut it at Old Trafford. The likes of Wes Brown and Danny Welbeck, for instance, were pretty much disposed of when their limitations were exposed at United.

While the same could be said if United were to sell Martial, he’s got one massive advantage over those kinds of players, and that’s his young age. At just 22 years old, he’s nowhere near his prime yet and most likely has a lot of development in his game yet to come. So if he did take a step down – and nobody’s suggesting the Championship, more a slightly smaller club abroad or perhaps a smaller Premier League side – then it wouldn’t be a stretch to think he could find himself at another superclub in a handful of years.

Look at his current teammate Romelu Lukaku, for instance – he was allowed to leave a massive club in Chelsea because he didn’t seem to be quite good enough for their expectations, but then he developed so well at Everton that United was willing to part with £75m for him just a few years later. The same could easily be said about Martial in years to come if he were to become a key player at a smaller side, rather than a bit-part at Old Trafford.