Manchester United has announced the signing of French forward Anthony Martial on a four year contract in a deal that is worth £36 million. He was granted leave from the France international team on Monday, the 31st, to travel to Manchester for his medical, which was subsequently completed according to Sky Sports. Martial will be Manchester United’s sixth signing of the summer. However the United faithful are not as impressed by the signing of talented youngster as they have been by some of the other transfers made earlier in the window.
Anthony Martial is a name that is relatively unknown amongst followers of Football with only the most hardcore fans knowing about him.
The 19 year-old forward has been plying his trade with AS Monaco in Ligue 1 and last season managed to score nine goals in 35 games which included 19 starts. His return is very impressive for a teenager, however many will have doubts regarding his ability to succeed in the Premier League, especially given that he is being signed as a solution to Manchester United’s scoring issues. This deal means that Martial becomes the most expensive teenager in the history of football and the Red Devil’s third most expensive signing after Angel Di Mariaand Juan Mata.
Martial’s reputation in France saw him gain interest from other clubs, he has been likened to another former Monaco forward, Thierry Henry who left and went on to become one of the greatest strikers in the history of the Premier League.
Martial was linked with a move away from Monaco this summer and Arsenal were reportedly interested in buying him; Tottenham Hotspur made a bid of €25 million for the forward that was rejected by the Ligue 1 club. Despite Martial’s budding reputation, many fans believe that Manchester United has panicked by signing him.
This summer Manchester United have offloaded strikers Robin Van Persie and Javier Hernandez; Adnan Januzaj, someone that United manager Louis van Gaal encouraged to play as a striker, has been loaned out to Borussia Dortmund, which leaves the club with Wayne Rooney as the only viable strike option.
Rooney’s poor start to the season, which was emphasized following his inability to put two clear chances away in United’s recent loss to Swansea, but thanks to the history of the club and its reputation for scoring goals, there is a lot of pressure on the young French forward to hit the ground running and deliver on the potential that the club sees in him.
