Manchester United’s forward, Anthony Martial, is contemplating his future at the club as he’s been predominantly used in a substitute role. At 27, Martial feels his career has plateaued and desires a principal role on the pitch, the Frenchman is no longer keen to be a back-up striker at United, as per Football Insider.
Surprisingly, despite expectations of his departure in the recent transfer window, Martial remained at Old Trafford. Various clubs had expressed interest in the talented Frenchman, but a move didn’t materialise.
United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, capitalising on the absence of the injured Rasmus Hojlund, gave Martial a few chances to prove himself on the pitch. Hojlund, who joined United from Atalanta in a noteworthy transfer, quickly secured his spot as the first-choice striker.
With Martial’s current contract set to expire in June 2024, the club retains an option to extend it by an additional year. However, this season, Martial has only been in the starting lineup in three matches and netted a goal in the League Cup.
Previously, Martial missed a significant 33 matches due to various injuries, which pushed Marcus Rashford into a makeshift striker position. During the last season, despite Martial managing only nine goals in 29 matches, the Red Devils clinched a third-place finish.
Since joining the club in 2015 for an initial £38.5million, injuries have shadowed Martial’s tenure at Old Trafford. He’s registered 89 goals and provided 54 assists in a total of 307 matches for Manchester United.
It’s worth noting that Martial had a short stint at Sevilla on loan during the 2021-22 season. However, his time in Spain saw him scoring just once and assisting another in a dozen matches.
