An insight into the stance of Manchester United when it comes to the future of Anthony Martial has been forthcoming on Thursday evening.
Reds march on
Martial and co. were of course back in action 24 hours ago.
The Red Devils, after getting the better of David Moyes’ men in the Premier League just days prior, welcomed West Ham to Old Trafford, for an EFL Cup 3rd-round showdown.
United, despite a heavily-rotated starting XI, headed into proceedings as clear favourites, boasting the talents of the likes of Jadon Sancho, Jesse Lingard and Eric Bailly from the off.
When all was said and done at the Theatre of Dreams, though, to say that things did not go according to plan for the hosts would be putting it lightly.
An altogether underwhelming display ultimately saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s outfit put to the sword by a goal to nil, putting a dent in the club’s long-standing efforts to bring an end to their silverware drought.
🚨⚽️ | NEW: Manchester United are now on their longest trophy drought since 1985-1990
— Football For All (@FootballlForAll) September 22, 2021
Martial on the move?
Evidently, based on the eventual scoreline in Manchester, a number of the Reds’ stars disappointed across the 90 minutes on Wednesday, with the club’s fans having not been shy in making their frustrations very much known.
One to have been singled out for particularly heavy criticism was the aforementioned Anthony Martial, who, amid a rare chance to impress whilst Cristiano Ronaldo was afforded a night off, again failed to step up to the mark.
The Frenchman looked disinterested throughout, with his lack of effort when out of possession having proven borderline concerning from a United perspective.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MARCH 30: Anthony Martial of Manchester United celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Watford FC at Old Trafford on March 30, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
In turn, on Thursday, it should not come as too much of a surprise to hear of Martial’s Old Trafford future being thrown up in the air.
In an in-depth look into the 25-year-old’s situation in Manchester, it is revealed by James Ducker of The Telegraph that United’s stance on Martial recently changed.
The board at the Theatre of Dreams are understood to have made it clear in the buildup to the transfer window slamming shut that their under-fire hitman was not for sale.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo’s subsequent arrival saw this stance ‘softened’.
And Martial’s increasingly concerning form, in turn, has only seen his future thrown further up in the air, with United now expected to be open to offers for his signature following the turn of the year.
If the Frenchman is to survive an anticipated cull next summer, he is going to have to improve hugely from Wednesday’s loss to West Ham | @TelegraphDucker https://t.co/RoePHKS0Sz
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) September 23, 2021
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Chelsea FC | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 5 | 9 | 13 |
| 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | -3 | 9 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| 9 | Brentford FC | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 11 | Watford FC | 5 | -2 | 6 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 5 | -3 | 6 |
| 13 | Arsenal FC | 5 | -7 | 6 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 5 | -3 | 5 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 5 | -2 | 4 |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5 | -3 | 3 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 5 | -7 | 3 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 5 | -7 | 2 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 5 | -6 | 1 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 5 | -12 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 2 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Duffy, Shane | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 2 |
| Rodri | Manchester City | 0 | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 2 |
| Struijk, Pascal | Leeds United | 1 | 1 |
| Tanganga, Japhet | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 |
| Barnes, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward, Joel | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Schar, Fabian | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Stephens, Jack | Southampton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 1 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 1 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 1 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 1 |
