“Fifty million down the drain, Tony Martial scores again”
Last season, the Stretford end kept chanting Anthony Martial’s name, mocking the headline by The Mirror after he moved to Manchester United. The newspaper labelled the France International ‘waste of money’ before he even kicked a ball for United. Nevertheless, Martial silenced his critics in his first game itself, scoring a wonder goal against perennial rivals Liverpool.
Trending
He won the Premier League Player of the Month in his first month in the League and bagged the Golden Boy award for 2015, all in his debut season in England. Martial was a breath of fresh air in Louis van Gaal’s possession-based football.
The then-20-year-old whizzed past defenders in a blur and ran behind the defence relentlessly. He finished the season as United’s top scorer in all competitions. Didier Deschamps selected him in France International squad for UEFA Euro 2016.The stage was set for him to display his talent. But things didn’t exactly work out for him.
A difficult summer
He made only three appearances for Deschamps’ side, playing a total of 70 minutes. Not only the tournament was a disappointment for him, he missed United’s pre-season because of the fatigue. Things went downhill from here.
When a young talent breaks into the scene, people start to expect great things from him immediately. However, a budding youngster needs time to adapt to extreme demands of professional football. During his time at Monaco, Martial was mostly used as a second half substitute, which meant he rarely completed 90 minutes, just twice, to be precise.
At United, the story was completely different. Van Gall relied on the Frenchman to lead the line in every game. He made 32 appearances in the league, playing the full game on 28 occasions. It was his first full season of regular first team football. The teenager did not get enough rest after the Euro 2016 and had to return to England merely 2 weeks after the tournament concluded.
On top of that, Martial was dealing with personal problems off the pitch. His partner accused him of being unfaithful and she timed these accusations just before the start of the season. Martial hit back at her on social media and the whole issue was picked up by tabloids.
The arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic made things worse as Martial’s preferred number 9 was unceremoniously taken away from him. He was planning to trademark ‘Martial9’, but his plans went for a toss. A thrust into the spotlight & the combination of on-field and off-field problems took a toll on the young man.
Result? His form took a nosedive.
Talk of the town? Not anymore
Martial was United’s best performer in the previous season, but his start under Jose Mourinho was slow. Mourinho substituted Martial in first three games of the season and later preferred Marcus Rashford in next few games. The Frenchman struggled to adapt to the Portuguese manager’s demands and was relegated to the bench in classic Mourinho style.
Injuries did not help his cause either. He missed two games after suffering a nasty-looking concussion against Watford. The Frenchman then started the big game against Arsenal but struggled throughout the first half and Mourinho took him off just after the hour mark. He looked like a shadow of his former self.
Most managers would refrain from criticising his players in the press, but The Special One is not like most managers.
“I cannot give him four, five, six, seven matches in a row when I have other people on the sidelines waiting for a chance. I try to give him chances. In fact, I gave him good chances because I played him against Tottenham and Arsenal, in some big matches. You have one opportunity, you have two, you have three - if you don’t bite then somebody comes and takes the bait.”
Mourinho issued a public warning to the former Monaco man and the clock was ticking.
Tough love works
Even though the United Boss was unhappy with Martial’s performance, he still backed the teenager to succeed.
“It’s taking a little bit of time but he’s a great kid, he wants to improve. He’s a good professional so I have no fears — I’m sure he will be there.”
When Martial’s agent publicly admitted that his client was considering a loan move to Sevilla, Mourinho urged the winger not to listen to his agent and follow the example of Henrikh Mkhitaryan who worked hard and earned his place in the starting lineup.
“Anthony needs to listen to me and not listen to his agent. He has to listen to me in training every day. Every feedback I give to players I give to improve players.”
The winger then did exactly what was asked of him, he made the most of his chances. He assisted Ibrahimovic to put United in front against Everton and put up a selfless performance. But his best performance of the season came on New Year’s Eve against Middlesbrough.
He gave the Boro right back nightmares with his pace and provided the cross for Ibrahimovic’s wrongly disallowed goal. The teenager then tested Victor Valdes from long range and forced a couple of saves before he finally found the net to level things.
Against Reading, Martial reminded everyone why he’s regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in Europe. Receiving the ball on the left, the Frenchman ran past two Reading defenders in a blink of an eye to pass the ball to Juan Mata who assisted Wayne Rooney’s 249th goal for United. Another moment of brilliance came when he curled in a lovely finish after playing a brilliant one-two with Rooney.
The timing of Martial’s rediscovery of his form could not have been more perfect as United now look to extend their run of 9 wins a row in all competitions. With Red Devils the only team still competing in four competitions, games will come thick and fast, and Mourinho would definitely like the Frenchman to keep performing. United host Liverpool this Sunday and Martial would be eager to continue his top form.
The resurgence of Martial is a perfect example for Memphis Depay, who is blamed of squandering the chances given to him and most probably is on his way out of the club. But Anthony Martial proved his doubters wrong and showed he is no quitter when things get rough.
And certainly, not a waste of money.
