According to Sky Sports, Manchester United are in talks with France international Anthony Martial over extending his deal with the club. The 22-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season, but the Red Devils can activate a one-year extension if they wish.
United have been criticised in some quarters for opening talks over a new deal, which is quite strange as the club are only moving to protect a valuable asset.
Struggled for game time at United
Martial has struggled to nail down a regular place in the United starting line-up since making a move to Manchester from Monaco in 2015 for a fee that could rise to £58million.
The 22-year-old is highly-rated, but United boss Jose Mourinho seems unconvinced by the youngster’s displays. In fact, Martial has started just 11 top-flight games in the each of the last two campaigns. His goal return of 13 goals is not a terrible one, although he did make a number of appearances from the bench too. Fair to say he has been underused in recent seasons.
Martial’s lack of appearances led to the forward’s omission from France’s World Cup-winning squad. The forward’s lack of game time also led to speculation over his future at Old Trafford, with summer reports suggesting that he wanted to leave United.
Is a big financial asset to United
Even if things have not worked out for Martial on the pitch at United, he is still a massive financial asset. Offering the forward a new deal is about protecting his value, not about keeping him so he can play.
It is simply good business really. The Red Devils are not going to allow a 22-year-old, who they paid big money for leave as a free agent next summer. They will do whatever they can to tie him to the club for a longer period and protect his value. That means that the club can get a decent fee for him if they decide to sell in the near future.
Martial does not seem to be happy at the club. The forward’s perceived unhappiness is speculated to be due to an uneasy relationship with United boss Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese bosses own future at Old Trafford is not exactly looking rosy at the minute.
Maybe if Mourinho left the club, Martial would get more first-team opportunities. One thing is for sure he needs to play to impress. So far this season, he has played just an hour of United’s campaign.
Mourinho struggling to stay in his job
It seems the clubs hierarchy are more likely responsible for the talks with the French forward. I highly doubt that handing Martial a contract extension is one of United boss Jose Mourinho’s priorities at the minute. Just keeping his job is no doubt foremost in his mind.
Mourinho is now the favourite to be the next Premier League boss to leave his job at odds of 9/10, so the former Chelsea boss’s position at the club seems delicately balanced, despite the dreaded vote of confidence from club officials.
Mourinho exiting the club at this stage of the season would be massive. However, he has a history of third season syndrome, so an exit in the near future cannot be completely ruled out. The Portuguese’s exit could give Martial a new lease of life at Old Trafford.
Whatever happens, it seems that Anthony Martial extending his contract with United benefits both parties involved. The striker no doubt gets a pay rise and United get to protect themselves against losing a massive amount of money.
Can Anthony Martial still be a success at Manchester United?
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