Martial’s Mixed Fortunes at Old Trafford
Anthony Martial’s career at Manchester United has been a mixed bag so far. He has only featured in 17 of Manchester United’s 49 matches this season, having sustained five different injuries during this time. As a result, his career has stalled at Old Trafford. However, Erik ten Hag, the Ajax coach who previously managed Martial at Utrecht, believes that the Frenchman is still an integral part of the squad.
Ten Hag has recently praised the performance of the United frontline against Brentford and Everton, where Martial came off the bench to score in the victory over Everton. With Rashford injured, Martial is now in contention to make his first start in almost three months as Manchester United face Sevilla.
The Challenge Ahead for Manchester United
Manchester United face a formidable challenge in their upcoming Europa League match against Sevilla. The Spanish team have won the Europa League on a record six occasions and will be looking to add another trophy to their collection this season. United will need to play their best football and be fully focused and prepared to beat Sevilla.
Unfortunately for Manchester United, they are without Luke Shaw and Alejandro Garnacho for this match. However, they can take heart from the recent return of stars like Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani to their squad.
Antony’s Disappointing Output at Old Trafford
Although much attention has been focused on Anthony Martial’s injury-hit fortunes at Old Trafford, there is another player from Ajax who moved to Manchester United last summer who has not quite lived up to expectations. Erik ten Hag has admitted that he expected more from Antony since his £85 million move from Ajax.
The Brazilian winger has scored no Premier League goals since October and has contributed no assists in the league either. However, Ten Hag praised Antony’s attitude and his ability to score decisive goals in big European nights against Real Betis and Barcelona. He believes that Antony can improve his goalscoring abilities and deliver in Premier League games too.
Ten Hag Defends Martial’s Contribution to the Team
Despite Antony’s disappointing output at Old Trafford, there are some positives for Manchester United. Ten Hag defends Martial’s role in the team and points to his stats, including his minute-to-goal ratio, which is the best in the squad.
Martial has scored seven goals in 17 appearances this season, despite spending more time on the treatment table than on the pitch. He is now the joint-third top goalscorer this season, after Rashford and Fernandes. Ten Hag says that the team does not have to force Martial’s comeback and are being careful with his return to the starting lineup.
Martial has a point to prove against Sevilla, where he was once on loan and was booed by fans. If he can put in a strong performance against Sevilla, then he can start to fight to be remembered better in the coming weeks.
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