Does Lukaku push Martial out?
By Josh McSwain
With the purchase of Romelu Lukaku from Everton, where does that leave the young Frenchman after a down season in the first year of Mourinho’s reign?
With the purchase of Lukaku to what we know will ultimately be a huge, if not record-breaking, fee it remains to be seen what impact his arrival will have on the rest of the United roster. One of the primary candidates to be sent away from the club is former leading scorer Anthony Martial.
However, United is not keen on giving him up as they have set up a 30 million pound transfer fee for Martial. I don’t think any club out there would pay that despite rumored interest from Roma and Arsenal. Of course, with the signing of Alexandre Lacazette the Gunners might not have any more interest. But if Alexis Sanchez were to actually leave, you never know.
More from Playing for 90
- Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
- Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
- Barcelona put five past Real Betis
- Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
- Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory
At this point Martial still looks like a project. Under Louis Van Gaal two years ago he led United with 11 goals in league play; but that was more out of necessity than actual skill.
Much like Zlatan this past season he was just given the ball and told to go make a play. He clearly looks more comfortable playing as a center forward or striker role than on the wing.
Crossing and longer passes are not his strength, as he likes to play more in the short passing game. Jose Mourinho likes Marcus Rashford much more at this point and should be the left wing this season. It may be best for Martial to go somewhere where he could actually play rather than waste away as a squad player for United just appearing in FA Cup and League Cup games.
Does he leave?
It wouldn’t surprise me if he were to leave the club altogether instead of just getting loaned out. Mourinho already let Morgan Schneiderlin leave for Everton; making it clear that he will part with anyone if he doesn’t see them as a part of his plan. Moreover, Martial is not very skilled on the defensive end which will continue to drive Mourinho crazy.
Next: Manchester United already targeting next big purchase
Ultimately, there is a decent chance that Martial will not be at Old Trafford this fall. But if United doesn’t lower their price tag they’ll be stuck with him. I would try to loan him out but if no team will cooperate then I wouldn’t be completely opposed to selling him.