"Same legacy as Nicklas Bendtner," "Throw him away" - Manchester United fans rejoice as reports suggest attacker will leave the club in 2024

Manchester United fans on social media have expressed joy with reports that the club could allow forward Anthony Martial to depart on a free transfer next summer.

Transfer news expert David Ornstein reported on Monday, December 11, that the Red Devils may opt to not extend Martial's contract, which expires come the end of the season. The French forward's current deal contains an option to extend by a further year.

Ornstein wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account:

"EXCL: Manchester United do not intend to activate option to extend Anthony Martial contract. Current deal expires 2024 (+ 1yr). Barring change of plan 28yo will exit #MUFC as free agent next summer unless suitable offers arrive in January"

The news comes on the heels of Martial receiving plenty of criticism for a difficult start to the 2023-24 season. He has featured in 19 games for United this term, but has contributed just two goals and two assists. The forward also played just 29 times across competitions last season due to multiple injury issues.

Several fans responded to Ornstein's tweet, with most suggesting that it was time to let Martial go. One of them even compared him to Nicklas Bendtner, who spent seven years on Arsenal's books and scored just 47 times in 174 matches. The fan wrote:

"Damn this bro came to United a 19yr old next 'Thierry Henry,' and 9 years later, he has the same legacy as Nicklas Bendtner"

Another user simply tweeted:

"Throw him away"

Here are some more reactions from fans:

Ornstein's report notably comes just days after Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag indicated that the club were discussing an extension for Martial (via Fabrizio Romano).

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Looking at Anthony Martial's career so far at Manchester United

Manchester United signed Anthony Martial in the summer of 2015 for a reported fee of around £58 million including bonuses (via Sky Sports) from Monaco. He impressed on his debut for the club, scoring a brilliant solo goal in a 3-1 Premier League win over arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Martial went on to score 10 more league goals, while also scoring twice and laying out five assists in seven FA Cup outings to help United win the trophy. He made 49 appearances across competitions on the whole, a total he has not reached since then.

While he made 42 appearances in the 2016-17 season, his goal and assist numbers (eight each) dropped. He played 83 times across competitions in the following two campaigns, scoring just 23 goals and laying out 12 assists.

The 2019-20 season proved to be Martial's best at Manchester United as he established a productive tandem with Marcus Rashford. The Frenchman scored 23 times and provided 12 assists in 48 matches across competitions, helping United finish third in the league.

However, he struggled once again in the 2020-21 campaign, recording just seven goals and nine assists in 36 matches. A poor start to the 2021-22 season saw him loaned out to Sevilla in January 2022, but he failed to impress there as well, netting only once in 12 outings.

Martial returned to Old Trafford last summer and enjoyed an encouraging preseason under Erik ten Hag. However, more injury concerns meant he played just 29 times across competitions, scoring nine times.

Overall, in over eight years with Manchester United, Martial has scored 90 goals and provided 55 assists in 317 matches across competitions. He has won the FA Cup, UEFA Europa League, Community Shield and two Carabao Cups during this period.