It's now or never for Anthony Martial with his contract winding down
It’s now or never for Anthony Martial with his contract winding down and injury concerns piling up… with top scorer Marcus Rashford sidelined, the Frenchman HAS to take his chance and show Erik ten Hag his future is at Man United
- Anthony Martial has failed to see out a full 90 minutes throughout the campaign
- Manchester United have won every game that the French forward has scored in
- Follow Sportsmail’s dedicated LIVE blog for all the latest news from Man United
With Marcus Rashford out injured, Anthony Martial could be handed a big chance to impress Erik ten Hag on Thursday night when Manchester United return to Europa League action against Sevilla.
It is almost ironic that an injury to his team-mate should provide Martial with a chance to prove his worth, with his own stint at the Premier League giants pock-marked by setbacks – 19 to be precise – but he has been gifted a rare piece of good fortune ahead of the clash with his former club.
With Rashford out of action, there is an opportunity for Martial to take the spotlight in attack – whether he starts up top or deputises out on the left with Wout Weghorst taking the central role.
But with the England star in scintillating form this term, and only out for ‘a few games’ if Ten Hag’s claims are to be believed, it is an opportunity that Martial needs to grab with both hands and not let go.
He has managed just 798 minutes this season – fewer than nine games – and has failed to play a full 90 minutes in 2022-23, not featuring in more than three games in a month all campaign.
Manchester United have won every game in which Anthony Martial has scored in this season
Marcus Rashford was ruled out of the Europa League quarter-final after picking up a groin issue
The 27-year-old netted in his most recent outing against Everton in the Premier League
Those numbers don’t make for much good reading for Ten Hag’s stand-in striker, but they are probably not the ones that the Dutchman will be looking at.
‘You say that I defended him but I just point to the stats,’ the United boss said. ‘The stats are telling you that when he’s on the pitch, the time he needs for a goal is less [than others].’
The ‘stats’ that he is referring to highlight that in the last nine games that Martial has scored in have all resulted in victories for his side, his most recent coming at the weekend against Everton.
They also show that the No 9’s seven strikes have come at a goal-per-minute ratio of 114 minutes – compared to Rashford’s rate of one every 127 minutes – and that he has come up with the goods in some of the club’s biggest games this season.
He grabbed a brace in United’s humiliating 6-3 defeat to rivals City, and provided an assist in their statement win over Liverpool in October, as well as scoring what proved to be a decisive goal in the 3-2 defeat of Omonia Nikosia.
‘When he is in the team, and I refer to games against Man City and Liverpool [in August], we play our best football and get the best results as a team. I see how he contributes to this team,’ Ten Hag said of his contributions.
‘We don’t have to force things [with Martial] – we are careful. The advantage is we can bring Anthony Martial slowly back but in the team, give him minutes, get him used to the game at the highest level, to high intensity.
‘I have to say the frontline against Brentford and Everton worked really well. I think continually we were a threat. It was difficult to defend for the opponent.’
The 27-year-old played a crucial role in the club’s statement win over Liverpool earlier in the season
The Frenchman endured a torrid loan at Sevilla last season, scoring just once for the Spanish side
This is not to say that it is either Rashford or Martial for Ten Hag – that is a competition that the former will win regardless of whether the latter scores a hat-trick on Thursday night.
Rashford has shown himself equally devastating out on the left, with the impotence of Weghorst in front of goal the main reason for his recent transition to a central role.
Erik ten Hag has backed Martial in the absence of his star man
If Martial can take his chance and prove himself capable of leading the line on a regular basis, then it could give Ten Hag the option of playing Rashford on the left, and allowing Jadon Sancho and Antony to fight it out for the right-wing spot.
But the 27-year-old needs little encouragement to prove himself against Sevilla.
He spent the back half of last season on loan at the Spanish side, and with just one goal and an assist in 12 games, fell far short of expectation.
Now, the Frenchman has an opportunity to prove wrong Spanish outlet AS, who described his time with the LaLiga side as a ‘fiasco’.
Yet it is not about correcting mistakes from his past, but proving that he deserves to be a part of the club’s immediate future.
Martial’s deal at Old Trafford is up at the end of next season, and although the club have an option to extend that by a further year, there is no surety that such an offer will be forthcoming without proof that he can still cut it at the highest level.
Martial has delivered precious little of the promise that he arrived with from Monaco in 2015
The Frenchman has managed just 138 goal contributions in more than seven years at Old Trafford
Since joining in 2015 he has largely failed to live up to the huge promise he brought with him from Monaco, delivering just 138 goal contributions in over seven years, and time is fast running out for the Frenchman.
He will also be all too aware of the club’s intentions to bring an out-and-out No 9 in over the summer, and will surely want to show Ten Hag that he can still compete for that role, and not fall foul of the likely mass clear-out that is to come.
As time begins to trickle away for him at the Premier League giants, it is approaching the make or break point in his United career, and he may not receive as good an opportunity as Thursday’s clash for some time.
Rashford’s goals have fired United to one piece of silverware this season already, Martial now has the opportunity to make his own contributions count in the club’s pursuit of a second.
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