The curious case of Anthony Martial at Manchester United

The 2021/22 season will be Anthony Martial's seventh season at Manchester United. He was signed as a 19-year old from AS Monaco for close to £50 million, becoming the world's most expensive teenager at the time.

You would have thought that by now he would have cemented his place in the side. No player at Manchester United divides the opinions of the fans, pundits and managers like he does.

But the jury is still out on Anthony Martial even after 6 seasons at the club. Nobody doubts his incredible talent. He is capable of producing magical moments in the game. But those moments have been few and far between in recent seasons. His critics have always pointed to his work ethic and off-the-ball movement.

No one can argue that he hasn't been given enough opportunities to prove his worth to the side. He joined the club as a precocious teenager, bought by Louis Van Gaal to lead United post the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Martial: The most expensive teenager in the world at the time of signing for Manchester United

Martial showed what he was capable of in just his first game for United with a superb solo goal against Liverpool.

The Frenchman had a fantastic first season with 17 goals in all competitions, becoming the highest scorer for the club. But since then, he has been highly inconsistent for Manchester United. There was a case that he wasn't getting enough opportunities under Jose Mourinho.

He had to play as a left-winger after his first season to accommodate Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku. He struggled under Jose Mourinho with a lack of game time and lost his way a bit.

Anthony Martial

Martial's fresh start under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

But he was reborn under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who made him the club's No.9 once again. He repaid the faith shown to him by the manager by scoring 23 goals in all competitions in the 2019/20 season and everyone thought Martial had truly arrived at Old Trafford.

But that proved to be a false dawn again as he struggled last season for form and fitness. He scored just seven goals in all competitions, which led to him being replaced by Edinson Cavani in the second half of last season.

In a season where United were looking to mount a serious title challenge, with many of the big-six clubs struggling, the lack of an in-form striker hurt United badly.

The Red Devils were top of the league in January, inspired by their talisman Bruno Fernandes. But since then, United had struggled for goals, particularly against the top teams with a lot of 0-0 draws. An in-form Martial would have certainly helped United turn those draws into wins.

His work-rate has always been criticized. So when he's not in goal-scoring form, his overall contribution to the team is very minimal. We see him sulking on the field and not putting a shift in when things aren't going his way.

Inconsistency has also been a major issue with Martial. He can be world-class on his day, but he goes missing in games far too often. At a club like United that is simply unacceptable.

Martial has still got age left on his side

At 25, he still has age on his side to fulfill his potential. But he needs to add consistency and work rate to his game if he is to become a world-class forward. The club and the manager have been very patient with him and have given him ample opportunities to prove himself.

With United now signing Jadon Sancho, the Frenchman is going down the pecking order at United. Only time will tell if he will repay the faith shown to him by the manager. But time is running out for Martial at Manchester United.