So goes Anthony Martial’s chant. A dig at those who cited him as a panic buy and a waste of money. Reality is setting in though, fifty million down the drain is looking a distinct possibility now.
Many have been too quick to point the finger at Alexis Sanchez’s arrival as the excuse behind Martial’s stunning nosedive in form. That does not wash with me one bit.
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Granted, Martial was in a purple patch of form when the Chilean joined, but good, even potentially great players as Martial is, adapt to playing anywhere across the front line for the good of the team.
People who lambaste the decision to play Martial on the right wing forget that is often where he came to prominence at Monaco, just ask Arsenal.
Instead of relishing the added competition, and quality, that Sanchez brings, Martial, and Marcus Rashford for that matter, have got their sulk on and have frankly acted like spoilt kids. The cowardly Brighton performance added more evidence to an alarming catalogue of unacceptable showings.
United completed the full set of defeats to the promoted sides from last season, yet another one sticks in the mind: Newcastle away. Martial got a poke in the eye early on and went on to spurn three glorious chances. He bottled it and is a luxury that is not providing value for money or reason to be championed.
Rashford and Martial’s showing last night demonstrated perfectly why United value Romelu Lukaku as untouchable and the ever improving Sanchez will walk back into the team.
You would have been hard pressed to believe the two youngsters were auditioning for a place in the final, should Lukaku not make it. We saw just how big a loss he would be if the prognosis is not favourable.
Martial has been linked with an array of top clubs, but in the here and now he is undeniably not doing it for United. Patience wears thin, especially with United needing impetus and a quick fix to try and overhaul City next season. They cannot afford to wait for Martial to produce semblances in two out of ten games.
He has been at United three seasons now, and the progression has been negligible: He should be threatening the likes of Hazard, Salah, Sterling, Sane- the flying wingers in this division who hit consistency far more regularly.
There is an air of spoilt kid about him- rumblings that he was unhappy Zlatan Ibrahimovic took his number last year, an unsettled personal life, Sanchez replacing him- he has been hiding behind excuses for some time now, when he should be entering that elite group of young players who could dominate the future.
You just want to shake the likes of Rashford and Martial and remind them they are playing for one of the best names around, they have an unbelievable chance to write their name on this club. Lukaku is a shining example of that. Pressure of filling Ibra’s boots? No problem. Those two could do worse than look at the Belgian, who has not been through the United doors as long as them.
My patience is wearing thin with their childish acts.
They had a point to prove, but only proved another one: They do not deserve to be in United’s eleven for the final few games.
