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2022-23 Performances

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5.6 Season Average Rating
Appearances
29
Goals
9
Assists
3
Yellow cards
0
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GreenFieldsGoldenBarley said:
Again, assuming that his injury record improves - but I don't see why anyone's determined to sell him.
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The issue is that a lot of people don't think he will improve his injury record. It really does feel like this is how it's going to be from now on. Which means we can't rely on him to be either our first choice or only second choice.

In which case we really only have two options. Either we sell him and use his wages and spot in the squad for somebody else who will be fit, or keep him as one of three strikers and let him battle it out to be our #2. He can't be relied on as first choice so we need to fill that role, but if (for instance) we kept both Martial and Wout next season they can then both act as squad options behind someone like Kane/Osimhen/etc.

Who knows, maybe he will actually get over the injuries and we'll get Martial back to his best. But at this point it doesn't feel like something we can rely on happening.
 
MadDogg said:
The issue is that a lot of people don't think he will improve his injury record. It really does feel like this is how it's going to be from now on. Which means we can't rely on him to be either our first choice or only second choice.

In which case we really only have two options. Either we sell him and use his wages and spot in the squad for somebody else who will be fit, or keep him as one of three strikers and let him battle it out to be our #2. He can't be relied on as first choice so we need to fill that role, but if (for instance) we kept both Martial and Wout next season they can then both act as squad options behind someone like Kane/Osimhen/etc.

Who knows, maybe he will actually get over the injuries and we'll get Martial back to his best. But at this point it doesn't feel like something we can rely on happening.
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Extemely well said. There wasn’t a less judgmental or rude way to say it. It’s just a fact, I know he hit a bad patch here before he went out on loan but it was never ever a talent issue. The team was never balanced and I don’t blame a player for knowing that and not being happy. Not saying that was his issue, but it seemed consistency which a young player when he came over never had with the team, or management. Part of me believes he needs a new start somewhere not as physical. But a bigger part of me wishes he would dazzle again.
 
TheRedHearted said:
Extemely well said. There wasn’t a less judgmental or rude way to say it. It’s just a fact, I know he hit a bad patch here before he went out on loan but it was never ever a talent issue. The team was never balanced and I don’t blame a player for knowing that and not being happy. Not saying that was his issue, but it seemed consistency which a young player when he came over never had with the team, or management. Part of me believes he needs a new start somewhere not as physical. But a bigger part of me wishes he would dazzle again.
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I'm convinced if he was playing for Napoli he'd be banging in 20 a season and we'd be trying to sign him for 100 million
 
MiceOnMeth said:
I'm convinced if he was playing for Napoli he'd be banging in 20 a season and we'd be trying to sign him for 100 million
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Yeah or inter i mean in a team that can constantly stay up I think he can do well also he n just a lesser league. If we signed him this year and he was however old he was when he signed for us i have faith ten Hag would do wonders with him.
 
MadDogg said:
The issue is that a lot of people don't think he will improve his injury record. It really does feel like this is how it's going to be from now on. Which means we can't rely on him to be either our first choice or only second choice.

In which case we really only have two options. Either we sell him and use his wages and spot in the squad for somebody else who will be fit, or keep him as one of three strikers and let him battle it out to be our #2. He can't be relied on as first choice so we need to fill that role, but if (for instance) we kept both Martial and Wout next season they can then both act as squad options behind someone like Kane/Osimhen/etc.

Who knows, maybe he will actually get over the injuries and we'll get Martial back to his best. But at this point it doesn't feel like something we can rely on happening.
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Sure, the injury/form issue these last 2.5 seasons has been a big problem, and has really affected our team structure.

Ideally we'd have a first team striker who's a more reliable goalscorer like osimhen, martial for rotation and competition (an option who's leas prolific but more involved in build-up play), and someone like weghorst as a 3rd option. My point is that Martial, for all his injury record and goalscoring drought, gives us something when fit that is really useful and that will be hard and expensive to replace.

We shouldn't be in a rush to sell him, is all I'm saying.
 
SuperiorXI said:
He fits our system like a glove but can't be relied on. We need an alternative for next season, and also a backup.
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Next season we spend lots on a more prolific striker and he becomes bench/rotation (form dependent). It would cost us 60million at least to replace Tony, and it's a massive risk signing 2 new striking options and relying on them to bed in and contribute from the off.

Sensible would be to sign an osimhen/whoever ten Hag likes, Martial stays and the rest of our budget goes to midfield/gk/backup cb. That's how we build reliable depth.
 
GreenFieldsGoldenBarley said:
Next season we spend lots on a more prolific striker and he becomes bench/rotation (form dependent). It would cost us 60million at least to replace Tony, and it's a massive risk signing 2 new striking options and relying on them to bed in and contribute from the off.

Sensible would be to sign an osimhen/whoever ten Hag likes, Martial stays and the rest of our budget goes to midfield/gk/backup cb. That's how we build reliable depth.
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That would make more sense if he wasn't on the contract he's on. As it stands he's approx. our 5th highest paid player, roughly on par with someone like Bruno and ahead of players like Antony, Rashford, Eriksen, Shaw, Martinez, etc. That's a lot for a injury-prone bench player.

You say it would cost £60m to replace Martial, but it wouldn't have to. You could pick up a Weghorst-level player for cheaper than that and on much lower wages than Martial who could perform the role of bench striker adequately while also rebalancing our wage bill. Certainly more adequately than Martial if the latter continues to be absent so regularly.
 
sullydnl said:
That would make more sense if he wasn't on the contract he's on. As it stands he's approx. our 5th highest paid player, roughly on par with someone like Bruno and ahead of players like Antony, Rashford, Eriksen, Shaw, Martinez, etc. That's a lot for a injury-prone bench player.

You say it would cost £60m to replace Martial, but it wouldn't have to. You could pick up a Weghorst-level player for cheaper than that and on much lower wages than Martial who could perform the role of bench striker adequately while also rebalancing our wage bill. Certainly more adequately than Martial if the latter continues to be absent so regularly.
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If we think he's a permanent crock then we should sell him, for sure. But we're gonna have to rely on the judgement of our manager/medical staff for that.

Thing is, given the choice of Martial or Weghorst as our striking sub I'd choose Martial every day of the week. If we're going for a Weghorst-level striker as backup and selling Martial then we're effectively putting all our eggs in the basket of whichever first choice striker we buy being instantly and consistently amazing, and also not getting injured - because weghorst is clearly a stopgap who doesn't have the ability to play there long-term.

Having a 100 million pound striker and a cheap loan-style option as our only 2 striking options - that's a really high-risk strategy. What happens if we buy osimhen for 100 million and he plays like darwin nunez for a year? Would we be happy with weghorst leading the line?

Don't think we should sell him just cos of his contract (which is too much, but it is what it is). Replacing him would be an expensive, time consuming risk. And the striking market is dry right now. I'm pretty sure that's how ten Hag will see it this summer.
 
Here's the guy that's always Anti-Martial.... saying, at least from watching just the highlights from the semi final, that was a good game for Martial. I enjoyed his touch and movement. I didn't see much as the highlights only really showed him touching the ball 4 or 5 times and a few times in proper positions for the Fred goal.

But this is me eating a little crow.... good game AM!!!
 
GreenFieldsGoldenBarley said:
If we think he's a permanent crock then we should sell him, for sure. But we're gonna have to rely on the judgement of our manager/medical staff for that.

Thing is, given the choice of Martial or Weghorst as our striking sub I'd choose Martial every day of the week. If we're going for a Weghorst-level striker as backup and selling Martial then we're effectively putting all our eggs in the basket of whichever first choice striker we buy being instantly and consistently amazing, and also not getting injured - because weghorst is clearly a stopgap who doesn't have the ability to play there long-term.

Having a 100 million pound striker and a cheap loan-style option as our only 2 striking options - that's a really high-risk strategy. What happens if we buy osimhen for 100 million and he plays like darwin nunez for a year? Would we be happy with weghorst leading the line?

Don't think we should sell him just cos of his contract (which is too much, but it is what it is). Replacing him would be an expensive, time consuming risk. And the striking market is dry right now. I'm pretty sure that's how ten Hag will see it this summer.
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Fair points. Martial's form does tend to dip when he's not the main man though.

I think a lot will be based on the next 4 months and whether Tony will sign a new smaller contract.
 
Oh no. What does he do on a daily basis, does he climb mountains or something? he looked completely fine in the last match
 
tenpoless said:
Oh no. What does he do on a daily basis, does he climb mountains or something? he looked completely fine in the last match
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In fairness he didn’t look fully fit and ETH said afterwards he isn’t fit. Hopefully he hasn’t picked up an injury and we’re just easing him back in targeting Leeds instead. But yeah…unfortunately he probably is injured again!
 
He looked sharp and didn't appear to take any knocks in the last game, surely he's not injured again? :confused:
 
Adisa said:
Fecking hell!
I am a fan of him but get rid ffs!
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This is pretty much where I'm at now. He suits the team and we're much more fluid when he plays but he's just never available so what's the point? IF we can find a suitor and IF we can sign two strikers then I'd get rid in the summer
 
What’s frustrating is the fact is we need him. We always look better with him in the side. Sick of this shit.
 
He's a top player but at the same time useless.

We're heavily reliant on Weghorst for the rest of the season.
 
GreenFieldsGoldenBarley said:
Next season we spend lots on a more prolific striker and he becomes bench/rotation (form dependent). It would cost us 60million at least to replace Tony, and it's a massive risk signing 2 new striking options and relying on them to bed in and contribute from the off.

Sensible would be to sign an osimhen/whoever ten Hag likes, Martial stays and the rest of our budget goes to midfield/gk/backup cb. That's how we build reliable depth.
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Martial is not reliable depth though. He’s always bloody injured. It’s time to get rid.
 
Yeah, even as president of Martial FC, this is egregious at this point
 
He had a good injury record from 2015-2019, and has been awful since then. Especially 2021 onwards.
Pogba had an average injury record 2016-19, and has had multiple long layoffs since.

What on earth did Ole do? And how were Bruno and Maguire immune??
 
There’s got to be some fit French bird in that treatment room of ours that he can’t stay away from.
 
The best ability is availability
 
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