Manchester United fans are losing patience with Anthony Martial and it showed on Saturday after he was cheered off (not for the first time this season!).
Erik ten Hag is not the type of manager to criticise his players publicly. Perhaps by Jadon Sancho’s reaction to a slap on the wrist in September tells you why, but the manager refused to lay into Martial after his poor performance in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
“Two weeks ago against Everton, he played a very good game,” Ten Hag said when asked about the crowd’s reaction, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News. “He absolutely has the competencies and abilities to play, so I don’t think it’s fair after a performance like this to go to one player, we as a group failed altogether.”
Martial was a surprise name in the starting line-up, with Rasmus Hojlund getting a rest for the first 56’ minutes before he eventually replaced the Frenchman while United were trailing by one goal.
Just like it did against Newcastle in the 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat last month, Martial’s substitution led to cheers from the home crowd as he walked around the side of the pitch.
Martial has not completed 90 minutes in the Premier League since January 2021, which is a pretty appalling record for a player aged 28 and should be in his prime. To make matters worse he has only scored 18 goals for United since the start of the 2020-21 season.
There is no way Martial deserves a new contract at the end of the season. He isn’t playing like a player that wants one.
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