Manchester United 0-0 San Jose Earthquakes: 5 Talking Points

#2 The Martial saga could hurt United

What has happened to Martial? It does seem that the rumours are true and he has actually handed in a transfer request! Martial looked disinterested, to say the least, and seemed to have his head somewhere else. And Mourinho has not been making matters easy by playing him in the number 9 role.

Martial can never expect to dislodge Lukaku as the main man, as the number 9, at United and as such, his only chances are at the left wing, where he is pretty good. Ideally, Mourinho should have used these pre-season games to build up the confidence of the Frenchman and give him adequate game time to flourish, to find his foothold on the game again.

Martial had been on fabulous form until Sanchez’s move, which adversely affected his game. Since Martial and Sanchez are two very different players and bring different things to the game, they can be used in different strategies against different opponents.

Martial does not look good as a number 9. He does not hold the ball well and is not too effective with his back to the goal. His finishing has also deteriorated, may be due to lack of confidence and he should stick to what he is good at – running at the defence and tormenting wingbacks with his speed and skill.

If Jose desires to keep him at United, he should immediately bring Martial back to the left, where he can stretch the game and show Sanchez that selection for the left slot is not confirmed, yet.

But if in the event that all of United’s efforts go in vain and Martial has his heart set on leaving, the club will have to decide whether it will be wise to hold on to him and also, the message his departure would send out to the young footballers everywhere about Manchester United as a club.