I think we’ve waited long enough for him to become the great player he looked like he could be. He’s 25 now and has been playing regular football from the age of 17. It’s never going to happen. If we can get a good enough price to replace him with a newcomer then let’s just do it.
Martial agent looking for a new club for him
- Thread starter dinostar77
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This thread doesn't contain any information about Martial agent looking for a club for him does it?
Which games were they (the bolded bit)?
Barely a whiff in the media. Makes me think he's staying tbh.
City for one - most difficult match up of the season. There were not many games where he was brilliant last season (none other pops to mind), but that's a good example as any. Season before last he was awesome though.
Greenwood on the other hand has never convinced at the CF position in senior football till date - he just vacates the position, however, I do believe he will as he matures. For now though his most noticeable impacts come as an inside right forward.
Martial has at least performed the role well in the past (as wretched as he was last season) so I don't for a second believe Greenwood is ahead of him as a CF option.
Don't forget we also have Sancho now. Greenwood on the right, Cavani striker and Sancho on the left, might even end up being our most effective frontline, we don't know yet.
James also showed in the Euros, and at the end of last season, that he can play on the left, and not be as horrible as many on here think.
Og and we even have Amad, which i personally hope and think will get some chances this year, Shoretire and Hannibal too.
After seeing Shaw in the Euros, i'd say we could play with wingbacks - as a last resort if we get many injuries up front - heck, we could even play with Bruno as false 9.
I doubt Ole will do that many changes, though, basically just brainstorming at this point
We have a lot more options than people think we do, players aren't absolutely useless out of position for a match or two.
This guy gets it.
I’ve seen Sunday league players who drank all day Saturday, got to bed at 0500 and had smoked 10 fags by kickoff at 1030 put in a better shift.
It wouldn't surprise me because his main issue early on was his finishing which has always been one of his strength. Also if Ole lambast him about his lack of volume when it comes to shots, we could see a totally different player, strangely enough Martial doesn't need much to be a volume scorer, he only takes 2 shots per games and in 2019/2020, he only took 2.5 shots which is far less than most top scorers.
You make a good point about cavani and a bad one about greenwood. Cavani has shown us what we should expect from a leading striker at the club. NHS martial was that and more. I’m not going to talk much about NHS martial because it was a very short period and if he can’t replicate that over a whole season then we should find a way to let him go considering we find a great replacement. There is also upside with martial considering he provides more than just off the ball movement with his dribbling and play making. Many have given up on him and I should too but I’m willing to wait one more year now that we have quality players on both sides of the pitch.
I disagree that Greenwood and Martial are both competing for the CF role. As things stand only Cavani and Martial are suitable for it. Greenwood doesn’t have the presence for the role. I’d say he’s a good 2 seasons and needs to develop physically before he can be trusted with leading the line. Till then we very much need martial. Even then we might still go out and get Haaland.
He's never been a prolific scorer, so unless he is possessed by the spirit of Alan Shearer or Ruud Van Nistlerooy, he won't score too many.
I think he is likely to stay, though, because no club would be prepared to pay his transfer fee or wage.
Martial in part exchange for Haaland?
Really good post. I don't want Greenwood playing with his back to goal, I think that would stop him doing what he's best at right now, which is picking up the ball in space and running towards goal. Martial can hold the ball up really well and bring others into play. For this year Cavani and Martial as our first team strikers (with the possibility of Rashford/Greenwood playing there if we're short or the strategy dictates), then I'd be in for Haaland, who plays a lot like Cavani from what I've seen (all about movement and finishing).
Martial has a season to see if he can get 20 goals again - if he can't I think everyone would be fine with selling him.
Did his useless agent still not find a club that would take him?
I don't know why we are not trying out that option it makes perfect sense for all parties. We could even add van de beek or lingard
Martial was better in 19/20 than Cavani was last season. If Martial gets back to that form and Cavani drops off a bit (or even only stays at the same level), Martial will end up our first choice again.
Cavani had a good finish to the season, but before that he was nothing special. For most of the season he was a good impact sub but tended to struggle when he started games.
Cavani wasn't fit to start in the season, got some niggling injuries and then got a very unfortunately timed ban. I don't really understand how anyone could have watched what Cavani brought to us last season and still eulogise over that 19/20 Martial season so strongly, but oh well.
Martial's finish to 19/20 was better than Cavani's finish to 20/21, and Martial's overall 19/20 was better than Cavani's overall 20/21.
Cavani was good and I hope that he'll maintain that level he finished at for the entire season this time, but I find a huge amount of people in here overrate his season and underrate how well Martial did the season before. Martial was our players POTS for a reason. Whether he gets back to that is a completely different story of course.
Even if you want to downplay Cavani, what he brought style wise, work rate, movement etc. to me he showed exactly the sort of striker we've sorely lacked for god knows how many years. That'll never be Martial, he might score some goals, do a few runs, work hard occasionally, but his movement and finishing is just not on the level of the best number 9s.
I'd take a 45 yr old Cavani over Martial.
I agree that Cavani's movement around the box and his workrate is better. However Martial (when playing well) provides better hold-up play, better interplay with others and better build-up. Finishing is debatable, as before last season Martial was generally a very good finisher. I can also see him working VERY well with Sancho for the same reason he's always combined well with Pogba - they all love their little one-twos and quick interplay in short distances.
We definitely should have a player of Cavani's style in the squad. But whether the hard working comes-alive-in-the-box style of striker should be our starting player ahead of a more all-round striker who provides more in the build-up...it's debatable. People writing off either are being foolish IMO. Of course if Martial has another season like his last then that's a completely different story and he'll probably end up being 3rd choice at best.
Cavani and Martial are completely different types of strikers. The things Martial can do well at his best, Cavani can't and vice versa. The stats even support that, the problem is Martial has rarely been at his best for the last year. It's easier to forget what he can provide for the team on form.
20 years ago, Martial and Cavani would've been an almost perfect partnership or today under someone like Conte.
20 years ago, Martial and Cavani would've been an almost perfect partnership or today under someone like Conte.
With Rashy out for 3months, there's zero chance we'll be shipping Martial.
Sancho-Cavani-Greenwood can't play every game, and James and Amad aren't enough back up.
Sancho-Cavani-Greenwood can't play every game, and James and Amad aren't enough back up.
There were at least a few games in the first half of last season where he was excellent without scoring. Off the top of my head:
Manchester City away: didn't score but won the penalty and pulled City's CB's all over the place;
Leeds home: Missed two sitters, but otherwise was one of the best players on the pitch, his hold-up play was outstanding;
West Brom home: One of the few players trying to make things happen in an overall poor performance from the team. Also missed a sitter though.
Also a couple of games where he did score and was excellent, such as Villa at home and Sheffield United away.
None of this is by way of saying he had a great season, there were plenty when he was awful and got hooked, usually for Cavani who would come on and change the game (Southampton away, Leicester away, Chelsea home. And the missed chances even when he did play well were hard to swallow. Unfortunately I do think he's just an inconsistent player.
Duncan Castle reported it so it's a lie. Lock the thread.
Sell him and free the club off his obscene wages.
A sunday tabloid reporting that Spurs want Martial for £50m (Utd asking price allegedly). £50m? I'd bite their hands off at that price.
Same.
The issue is we will have to replace him so our attacking options aren't thread bare, in his best season here he scored 23 goals without taking pens so I wouldn't be particularly happy if we replaced him with someone mediocre. Martial performs a handy role in that he's an option for both striker and left wing. If we replace him with a striker, we're down a wide player. If we replace with a winger, we're down a striker. Knowing Rashford will miss a good chunk of the season I'm more reluctant to sell him than usual.
If Spurs had 50M to spare, they’d complete the deal for Romero and get another center back first.
Will only happen if they sell Kane
United will be looking at a top striker next season. But, I would let Martial go this season if someone will pay us a good price. I like his talent but he is like Pogba, talented but not exactly fit the way we want to play.
So no chance then?
How does that help us this season? We'll be down to aging Cavani who has to be rotated every other game, a young Greenwood who is probably more suited to wide right for the time being, and an injured Rashford who again plays best out on the left.
Why isn’t he playing in the friendlies? Surely he’s not injured still?
Martial tearing it up for the Spuds?? Feck, no!
That fecker's going to do what he's always done at United...sit the haters down! No way should we be getting rid of Martial.
That fecker's going to do what he's always done at United...sit the haters down! No way should we be getting rid of Martial.
If you paid attention to the managers interviews you would have found out and Tony and Donny are a week behind everyone else and were training by themselves. Id say they will be involved vs Brentford.
Don't see City passing up on him. They don't have strikers at the club.
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Surely a week behind would mean the same condition everyone else was in against Derby. Was just curious as I (wrongly) assumed he’d be back for the start of pre season.