Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has told forward Anthony Martial he needs to be more consistent.
Martial joined United two summers ago as a 19-year-old for a fee of £36m, potentially rising to £58m with add ons. The Frenchman was almost unknown in England when he signed, but burst onto the scenes with a debut goal against Liverpool and a flurry of top following performances. His first season at Old Trafford whilst under Louis van Gaal will be seen as relatively successful, but fans became eager to see more from the youngster the following season, something that didn’t quite pan out.
The 21-year-old’s performances last season gave us just a glimpse of what he is capable of, and Mourinho certainly didn’t hold back when dropping the youngster for his poor performances. This summer, Martial has been linked away from United several times, most recent of which being to Inter Milan. But the general feeling around most fans is that Martial still has a lot to give and must stay – a move away would upset many.
United’s pre-season tour continued last night against Real Madrid, and Martial showed why he is still one of the hottest talents in the game with a wonderful assist to set up Jesse Lingard’s first-half opener in the 1-1 friendly draw, which United later won on penalties.
But despite his mesmerising assist, Martial missed the first of United’s penalties – pointing back to his lack of consistency, and after the game Jose Mourinho demanded more from the forward.
“He is a young player. He still has time to learn, to improve and develop,” said Mourinho.
“We want more consistency in his talent. I can say he is training better than before and is working harder than before.” [BBC]
Ivan Perisic has been heavily linked with a move to United this summer, something that would put Martial’s chances of playing a more consistent role under threat. However, the No.11 is more than capable of performing to a level that would see him play ahead of anyone in the final third – so let’s hope we see more from the Frenchman in the coming season.