It seems certain that he will leave Manchester United this summer
After an explosive start to this Manchester United career, Anthony Martial’s time at Old Trafford has been a mixed bag. Louis van Gaal brought him to the club in 2015 and seemed to trust the young Frenchman to lead the line. He was then moved out wide after the breakthrough of Marcus Rashford, but remained a key player.
The same cannot be said for how José Mourinho has utilised the young forward. The Portuguese manager has never appeared to be Martial’s biggest fan, despite his good scoring record at the start of this season. Martial and Rashford would rotate during the early months of this season, with the one who started on the bench often coming on to attack a tired defence. The tactic seemed to be working, but when the chance to sign Alexis Sánchez arose in January, Martial’s game time became much more limited.
Contract negotiations with United have broken down as a result, according to the Daily Mail and Barcelona could be the club to take advantage. The Catalan giants are reportedly interested in bringing Martial to the Camp Nou this summer.
Barça are certain to regain their crown as Spanish champions and still haven’t lost a league game this season. They have adjusted to the loss of Neymar last summer by tweaking the formation, using Andrés Iniesta as a wide midfielder, and signed Philippe Coutinho in the summer to play on the left.
But Martial could be the ideal replacement for Neymar, attacking with pace coming in from the left wing. He could also step into the space that Luis Suarez will surely vacate in the next year or two as he loses his legs.
The move makes sense for all parties.
