Anthony Martial future: Man Utd officials come to a decision over France star as ‘fortune’ claim made

Anthony Martial could return to the Manchester United first team next season amid claims the Red Devils want to save ‘a fortune’ by keeping him.

Manchester United spent £50million when signing Martial from Monaco in September 2015. He has gone on to register 79 goals and 50 assists in 269 games for the club.

Martial has bags of talent but has struggled to live up to that large price tag, or demonstrate his ability on a consistent basis.

The forward’s best season came in 2019-20, when he hit 23 goals in 48 outings. 17 of those came in the Premier League as Martial made a big impact for Manchester United.

However, his scoring record worsened the following campaign and a loan to Sevilla came about in January of this year.

Martial struggled in Spain and Sevilla now have no plans to sign him permanently.

Reports have put the 26-year-old in line for a summer exit from the Theatre of Dreams. But according to talkSPORT, he will be sticking around for the 2022-23 season.

United chiefs are attempting to convince Erik ten Hag to utilise Martial in pre-season and when the next campaign gets underway.

The Dutchman has already done this once, giving Martial a start in the 4-0 pre-season victory over Liverpool. The France international repaid his manager’s trust by getting on the scoresheet.

United have been linked with numerous forwards in recent months. However, club officials believe keeping Martial will save them ‘a fortune’.

If they get their way and Ten Hag listens, then Martial will compete with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo (if he stays), Jadon Sancho, Anthony Elanga and Marcus Rashford for a starting place.

One target for the Red Devils is Ajax star Antony. But his large cost is proving to be a sticking point, so United could end up keeping Martial and avoiding a move for the Brazilian.

It is an interesting ploy from the Red Devils. Martial has already had plenty of chances at the club and hasn’t always taken them.

Plus, he is slightly low on confidence following his disappointing spell with Sevilla.

But United chiefs may think Ten Hag can get the best out of him. And if this does happen, then the decision will be an intelligent one.

On his day, Martial can trouble even the best of defenders. This hasn’t happened enough in a United shirt but now the player has another opportunity to prove he is worth that £50m price tag.

It will be intriguing to see how Martial does, and how Ten Hag utilises him, once the new season begins.

Meanwhile, United have lost out on a transfer target after he joined Brentford on a four-year contract.