So it begins. The summer has barely begun but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already been blindfolded and has one hand tied firmly behind his back by the Glazers.
The Mirror claims Solskjaer wants to sell Anthony Martial after the much-maligned forward through concerns over his fitness, form and attitude.
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Ole’s predecessor Jose Mourinho wanted to sell Martial last summer but the club tied him down to a new five-year deal just six weeks after the Portuguese’s departure. However, like the team itself, there was a significant drop off in Martial’s form and he managed just one goal in his final 11 appearances of the season. He’s not had the best of seasons but others spring to mind when it comes to consistently failing to hit the heights.
But not for the first time and almost certainly not the last, the United manager has been over-ruled by his hierarchy. According to the Daily Mail and several other sources, Martial’s future is safe as co-chairman Joel Glazer considers him be to the club’s Pele.
Just let that sink in. Martial’s talent is clear for all to see but he has the mentality and attitude of a prima donna and is certainly not irreplaceable. There are certainly players at United who need to be jettisoned before the 23-year-old Frenchman, but I would not lose sleep over seeing him leave.
The comparisons with the Brazilian legend – widely considered to be the greatest player of all time – is as laughable as it is ludicrous. You could not make it up.
Graziano Pelle is more like it.
Non football people making football decisions. United’s problems in a nutshell and this only further goes to show how much the club’s owners know about the beautiful game.
Whether you agree with Ole’s stance or not, it cannot be right that the hierarchy who are distant and uninterested for most of the time, are calling the shots over the most important person at the club – the manager – who works with this squad on a daily basis.
What hope has Solskjaer got of leading the rebuild when he’s ultimately being undermined and not having the final say? He’s nothing more than a glorified puppet being pulled to the pace of the Glazer string. I’ve a strong suspicion that he didn’t want to lose Ander Herrera either.
It is a shambles and a long summer lies ahead.
