When people mention Martial today, they see him as a regretful story of not being able to live up to his talent. When he arrived from Monaco in 2015, the media praised him for his henry's dynamism and ability to score goals. But that never happened, but in his Manchester United career, he was close to becoming the player everyone wanted. But for various reasons, it never happened, and now Martial has told the club he wants to leave the team after losing his position. United brought in Martial for £36m plus a lot of surcharges, breaking the transfer record for a young player who was so confident in signing a talented player with the ability to become a superstar of tomorrow. Anthony Martial was the top junior scorer in Europe's top five leagues in the 12 months leading up to his transfer, and United are particularly excited about his ability to threaten and pressure the opposing defence over a wider area, as well as his ability to score goals – traits that Henry once had.
The first month was similar to what was expected at Manchester United. He started his English football career with a goal – and against sworn enemies Liverpool. After coming off the bench, the then-teenager scored a shot in less than half an hour to win 3-1 for Van Gaal's side. The Dutch boss called it a "wonderful goal". He then scored two more goals to help United win his first Premier League start, winning 3-2 over Southampton. He scored another goal as a substitute in the League Cup against Ipswich City and thus ended his glorious first month at Manchester United. He was subsequently named the premier league player of the month and at the time, the sky seemed to be the limit of the young Frenchman, who even won praise from Sir Alex Ferguson for his early influence at the club.
However, in the months that followed, United's title-winning hopes were shattered in consecutive defeats to Bournemouth, Norwich and Stoke City in December. Still, his first season can be seen as a success, as he made 42 appearances in all competitions (the vast majority of which played the full 90 minutes), scored 15 goals and assisted nine times. After extra time at Wembley, Martial helped United win 2-1 over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, ending the season with a title medal.
Van Gaal was replaced by Mourinho in the summer after his first season with Martial, and that's where the Frenchman started to go wrong. Marcus Rashford's appearance late in the previous season, as well as the addition of Ibrahimovic that summer, intensified competition at Old Trafford. Martial had success in both the centre and the wing in his first season, but Mourinho almost only let him play on the wing, although he had reservations about his ability to chase back. As a result, Martial's efficiency in the second season dropped significantly, he scored only 8 goals, and the following summer Manchester United signed Romelu Lukaku and re-signed Ibrahimovic, so Martial's opportunities to play to his strengths as a centre forward are very limited. Still – and with Sanchez adding to the competition on the flanks with his arrival in January – Martial managed to score double-digit goals in his third season.
However, there is no doubt that under Mourinho's leadership, his confidence has been hit, and the team's more conservative style of play has also hindered his ability to exert influence. Mourinho eventually made way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who restored Martial to a full-time 2019-20 first full season in charge of the Norwegian. It was the most goalscoring season of his career, with 17 Premier League goals in 32 games and a Manchester United Player of the Year award. He has scored 23 goals in all competitions and it looks like he is on the verge of becoming a player to lean on, which is also the player he is close to becoming in his first month at the club. But despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm, Martial was ultimately unable to change the trajectory of his career at Old Trafford.
A cliché is that apart from the first manager, Louis Van Gaal, no one has ever really handed over offensive dominance to Anthony Martial. In addition to Ibrahimovic, Sanchez and Lukaku, Bruno Fernandes, Cavani, Sancho and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo have all moved to Manchester, suggesting that the club never fully believed that Martial could be the main attacking weapon the team relied on. However, that doesn't shy away from the players' own responsibilities, and according to a recent report, even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to send the Frenchman away before being sacked.
Reports say Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was disappointed by the huge regression he saw from Martial last season in health. The Norwegian is said to want to see United get rid of Martial and his £250,000 a week salary to invest in other areas of the squad. Eventually, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left the club for poor performance and now the Frenchman will also leave if United can find the right buyer. If he could, a new beginning should at least give him a chance to realize the potential he showed as a teenager – but it would be up to his professional attitude to ensure he could do it.