Ex-United star could “easily have been best in the world”, he left the club on free transfer – report

Manchester United have signed some gifted teenagers over the years, but few created a buzz akin to Anthony Martial, who arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2015. The Frenchman joined the Premier League giants as one of the most exciting young players in the world and enjoyed a stunning start to life at Old Trafford.

Martial came off the bench against Liverpool to score the final goal – a superb individual effort – in the 3-1 win at the Theatre of Dreams. His first Premier League start arrived eight days later against Southampton, and the Frenchman marked the occasion with a brace to help secure a 3-2 win.

The Frenchman would go on to win the 2015 Golden Boy Award later that year. However, the glorious start could not be sustained, and Martial would struggle for consistency throughout his time with the Premier League giants.

Martial’s spell with United

Martial registered 17 goals from 49 appearances in his first season with United, and that remains the second-best campaign of his career so far. The Frenchman was at his goalscoring best in the 2019/20 campaign under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Norwegian’s fluid system got the best out of Martial, who started as the No. 9 and registered 23 goals and 12 assists from 48 appearances in all competitions.

Anthony Martial Career Stats

Source: Transfermarkt.

Martial dropped out of favour under Erik ten Hag and, after a brief loan spell with Sevilla, left the Premier League giants as a free agent in the summer of 2024. He spent one season with AEK Athens before moving to Liga MX club Monterrey last summer, and currently pursues his career in Mexico.

During his time at Old Trafford, the Frenchman shared the pitch with Diogo Dalot, who has outlined what an incredible talent he was.

A potential Ballon d’Or winner

Dalot recently sat down with United legend Rio Ferdinand to discuss various topics on Rio Ferdinand Presents, as cited by the Mirror. As part of the segment, the former England international asked the Portuguese to name a 5-a-side team composed of players he had shared the pitch with.

Dalot began by naming Martial alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in attack. He said: “It would be Chris (Ronaldo). And I’m going to put one more up front. I’m going to say Martial.”

Ferdinand was surprised by the Portuguese selection, saying: “Martial? I did not expect that. I know he’s got huge talent, but I didn’t… why Martial?”

Dalot responded: “I’m going to say it because I’m going to combine what, obviously, he could do in games, but in training. And I played a lot against him, so it was really, really tough to play. And he was one of those that, if he had obviously a bit more consistency, sometimes he would disconnect a little bit from everything. But if he wanted, he could be the best player in the world. Easily.”

“In training, he could do things that you’d say you had to stop training. You know, those moments where you say… you want to blow the whistle and say, ‘Okay, let’s go inside.’ And I had a few. I remember Juan Mata also had those things of quality.”

In response, Ferdinand revealed that Carrick, who played alongside Martial for United, was convinced that the Frenchman would win the Ballon d’Or. He said: “You know, Carrick said to me when he first signed that Martial could win the Ballon d’Or.”

Final Thoughts

Martial was tipped for great things at United, and it is unfortunate that he could not build on his explosive start to life at the Theatre of Dreams. However, it is also important to note that the Frenchman arrived at the club during one of the toughest periods in their history, and perhaps he could have been a hit in another era.

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