The Manchester United fans here in the Transfer Tavern aren’t sure what to make about their progression under Jose Mourinho. Indeed, the punters propping up our bar believe the Portuguese coach is naturally at odds with the club’s inherit traditions, especially when it comes to developing young players.
Over the past few months, doubts about the futures of both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have been raised. Both forwards are hugely popular figures amongst the United faithful though have had to wait on the bench for large parts of the campaign thus far as the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ chopped and changed.
Considering both their recent links away, we recently posed the question to our readers; which one should leave? Not which striker our drinkers want to leave, rather who should after a difficult campaign at the Theatre of Dreams. As you’ll see, the response from our voters shows they largely believe Martial should depart.
With that in mind, here’s a look at why we think our voters would come to that conclusion.
Inconsistent
There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that Martial is a wonderful talent. He boasts the kind of pace, ruthless finishing and ability to beat multiple defenders to seriously make an impact at the top level of European football, though it’s not something we’ve seen often enough since his first season at Old Trafford.
While watching him develop elsewhere would be a gutting process for the Red Devils and their fans, United are chasing instant success and Martial isn’t currently the man to give them that.
No defined role
No one quite knows where Martial should play. Indeed, the former Monaco man thrilled as a central striker upon his arrival in Manchester back in 2015, though has since been shunted out on the left to play as an incisive winger. Clearly, that’s not so much his fault, though the chopping and changing has had an effect on a young player trying to hone his craft.
With Romelu Lukaku clearly the striker United have chosen to rely on for the coming years and Alexis Sanchez pretty much needing to play considering his wages, Martial isn’t a natural fit anywhere else.
