In what was one of the biggest transfer deals of the summer on deadline day yesterday, Manchester United shocked the watching world by splashing out an incredible £36 million on Monaco’s soon to be capped French international Anthony Martial.
Just 19-years-old, Martial traded Lyon for Monaco for just five million euros back in 2013 but fast forward two years and he’s just become the most expensive teenager in the world, ever.
Having only played just 49 times for the Ligue 1 club in the French top flight so far in his career, there is no getting away from the fact that the signing of Martial is something of a gamble but considering how highly he’s been rated and the fact he’s been likened to Thierry Henry, perhaps he can indeed live up to the hype while eventually proving a sound signing.
The real problem for the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal this summer was the fact that truly world class forwards were either unavailable or already snapped up by other clubs in the shape and form of the likes of Karim Benzema and Jackson Martinez respectively.
While Arsene Wenger infuriated his club’s fanbase by refusing to buy any outfield player this summer, Louis van Gaal bit the bullet and paid an incredibly inflated fee for someone who is relatively unproven but at least the Red Devils have been adventurous.
Only time will tell whether this gamble will pay off but with Anthony Martial now on board, just where will he fit in the Red Devils’ best eleven.
We think this is how he’ll slot into Louis van Gaal’s plans.
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Click on the image below to reveal what we believe to be the best starting XI Man United can field under LVG next season.
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David De Gea
Our resident United fans by the bar are guessing how many weeks it will take for David De Gea to mentally get himself right before returning to the Red Devils fold in place of Sergio Romero.
Having infamously seen his Real Madrid switch fall through late before deadline day, the Spanish international is now in a sticky situation at Old Trafford but that said, we think he’ll still play some part for Louis van Gaal this season.
Romero – often a number two at club level in the past – hasn’t really been able to shake that status in the eyes of Red Devils fans despite starting every game under LVG thus far and so Manchester United fans are eager to see if they can coax one last decent string of performances out of De Gea ahead of probably leaving next summer.
If he can produce some performances even half as good as the ones he produced last season, David De Gea simply has to be in United’s best starting eleven.
Matteo Darmian
Having enjoyed a steady start to life at Old Trafford, Matteo Darmian looks a player who is well worth the £13 million investment Manchester United made this summer.
An Italian international, his new role with the Red Devils is likely to make him nail down a starting berth for the Azzurri squad ahead of Euro 2016 and so far, it has been a case of carry on what you’re doing in regards to Darmian’s performances.
Capable of bombing on down the right flank, Darmian has often kept things simple when in possession of the ball but Red Devils fans wouldn’t like him to try and repeat the neck grab on Micah Richards that he got away with at Aston Villa recently.
Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling has many critics and we’re not talking about his fancy dress but rather some of the error-prone defensive performances we’ve become used to from him over the last couple of seasons.
However, following his stupid red card away at Manchester City last term, he really started to mature while producing more consistent performances towards the tail end of the campaign.
Still a work in progress like Phil Jones, Smalling takes the centre back slot ahead of his England team-mate due to the promise he showed later on in 2014/15.
Marcos Rojo
He may have already lasted one full season as a Manchester United player but Red Devils fans would love to see far more of their Argentine centre back given the series of injury setbacks he suffered last term.
Performing as a losing finalist in the Copa America for Argentina this summer, Rojo had a good tournament on a personal level, albeit playing as a left back.
While he performs in this position for his country, we expect Rojo to get plenty of opportunities at centre back this term with Louis van Gaal having failed to land the likes of Nicolas Otamendi who joined Manchester City instead this summer.
Daley Blind has been Chris Smalling’s partner at centre back so far but with the Dutch international lacking in height and physical presence, many would like to see Rojo given a chance again once he retains full fitness.
Luke Shaw
Not flopping to the extent Angel Di Maria did in his first season at Old Trafford, Luke Shaw will look back on his debut season not so fondly compared to the ones that proceeded it.
A big money signing from Southampton of course, Shaw struggled to produce his best performances in more expectant surroundings last term with the England international also succumbing to injuries on several occasions.
Nonetheless, Shaw is still only 20-years-old and full of promise so it is not surprising at all that he has nailed down the left back slot as his own again this term.
Starting this season much better than he did the last one, everybody expects Shaw to go on to that next level over the course of the next few campaigns.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Having emerged as a second-half substitute during Manchester United’s first couple of fixtures this term, Bastian Schweinsteiger has just started to make inroads into Louis van Gaal’s starting eleven and we’ve already seen the leadership traits that he’ll bring to the Red Devils squad.
Dictating to other team-mates where the ball should be played next, the German World Cup winner is well trusted by Louis van Gaal while being able to sit in front of the defence as a calming influence in midfield.
An incredibly experienced customer, the likes of Schweinsteiger will also prove vital for United in the Champions League where most Red Devils fans will be hoping the club can emulate the former glory days after falling out of Europe’s elite competition under the reign of David Moyes.
Morgan Schneiderlin
Signed on the same day as Schweinsteiger of course, the capture of Morgan Schneiderlin as well has really revamped the options available to Louis van Gaal in central midfield.
With Marouane Fellaini, Daley Blind and Ander Herrera capable of filling this midfield slots to boot, United suddenly have one of the strongest midfield’s in the division.
Schneiderlin has started very steadily for United and looks a calm presence in the midfield.
Capable of doing a little bit of everything including breaking up the play but starting attacks to boot, Schneiderlin is more than adept at fulfilling the role Michael Carrick has over the last few seasons at Old Trafford.
Juan Mata
Last season, Juan Mata started to demonstrate some of the form that ensured he was awarded Chelsea’s Player of the Year gong for two seasons in a row after finally finding his feet at Old Trafford.
For a long while, it looked as if despite being a quality player, the Spaniard didn’t seem to fit at Old Trafford but following his high profile brace away to Liverpool last term, that game turned Mata into a different animal altogether and he’s gone on from then to become a fixture in Louis van Gaal’s plans.
At one stage, even Adnan Januzaj looked like getting in the team ahead of Mata but in credit to the former Valencia man, he now earns his place in Manchester United’s strongest eleven.
Wayne Rooney
Having seen off both Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney was entrusted with the task of being Manchester United’s main striker before the deadline day signing of Anthony Martial from Monaco.
However, after an incredibly poor start to the season by Rooney’s lofty standards, Louis van Gaal simply had no option but to add to his strikeforce also given the fact Javier Hernandez was granted a departure to Bayer Leverkusen to boot.
With Rooney having struggled in the opening fixtures of the season as a number nine and criticised for forgetting the role by the likes of Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright, expect Rooney to resume his duties back in the number 10 role with the expensive Martial expected to receive a run of games up top as the centre forward.
Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay’s standout performance in a Manchester United shirt so far was in the home fixture against Club Brugge in the Red Devils’ Champions League qualifier and this will be the benchmark that the Dutch international has set for himself.
An incredibly talented footballer, Depay scored over 20 goals for PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie last season and although he is unlikely to match that total this time around, he’ll be expected to chip in with his fair share.
A threat from set pieces as well, Depay is diminutive and skilful, posing a threat to defenders in the Eden Hazard mould.
Not as devastating as Hazard at his peak as yet, Depay is still growing in the English top flight and as we saw with Alexis Sanchez last season, after his first goal away at Leicester City, there was no stopping that big name Premier League arrival so who knows, Depay could yet prove one of the stars of the season.
Anthony Martial
The man on the lips of every Manchester United fan right now, Anthony Martial is arriving at Old Trafford with pressure firmly on his shoulders.
Through no fault of his own, Louis van Gaal and Ed Woodward decided to splash a remarkable £36 million on his services despite his relative inexperience but like Gary Neville tweeted yesterday, the Frenchman should be given the benefit of the doubt given how highly-rated he is.
We’ve seen the likes of Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres crumble under the pressure of a big fee before and this time, Martial is just 19-years-old but as we’ve seen in the case of Raheem Sterling at Manchester City, sometimes too much is made of fees and players are simply there to impress and showcase the talents they possess.
United fans will hope that the Thierry Henry comparisons aren’t wide of the mark and that Martial isn’t the new David Bellion!
