Man Utd duo Martial and Antony have sent messages to the Glazers after Wolves win
Antony #Antony
Manchester United had Marcus Rashford to thank after his winner against Wolves on Saturday. But, while the 25-year-old impressed, it was a day to forget for Antony and Anthony Martial. And the pair’s struggles have sent a message to the Glazers that the club clearly need reinforcements in attack, especially following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo last month.
Manchester United had to put in a shift against Wolves to claim all three points, with Julen Lopetegui’s side showing plenty of threat throughout the game.
And Rashford, who had been benched prior to kick off, then popped up with a crucial winner in the 76th minute to give his side all three points.
The England international kept his cool to finish from inside the box, having exchanged passes with Bruno Fernandes in the build-up.
And that sparked jubilant scenes from the United bench, with Erik ten Hag visibly delighted at the way his talisman came to his side’s rescue.
However, while Rashford impressed, Martial and Antony both endured days to forget.
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Martial has been in fine form for United this season, with the France international scoring five goals. On his day, he can be unplayable.
Yet the former Monaco star was a subdued figure throughout the match and didn’t seem to be up for the game, with Wolves getting physical to stop him from finding the net.
Martial has shown signs of improvement for United this season, with many previously expecting him to be sold back in the summer.
But it’s clear the Red Devils require an upgrade in the No 9 position, something Ten Hag is desperate to get when the transfer window reopens next month.
He’s said as much publicly and it’s evident the Glazers need to splash more cash, despite spending big back in the summer.
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And another player who should force the Americans into spending is Antony, who had another day to forget.
The Brazil international was poor against Nottingham Forest in midweek and, after struggling against Wolves, has now gone 12 games without a goal or assist for club and country.
It’s clear the former Ajax star is a player with great talent and potential, which is why United snapped him up in the first place.
But Antony can be infuriating to watch at times and his lack of end product means he can’t be relied on at the current moment.
Both Martial and Antony aren’t players who United can place 100 per cent faith in.
And their struggles against Wolves is proof of why the Glazers, even at a time where they’re open to selling United, must make funds available.
Meanwhile, United star Luke Shaw spoke out after the game and admitted he was delighted with the result.
“It’s always a tough game whenever we come here, they’re a tough side, we seen their first game in the Premier League under the new manager so we knew it was going to be tough,” he said.
“But I think we showed great resilience. We had a poor first-half, we know that, the manager told us that at half-time but fair play when you’ve got someone like Marcus Rashford to come on, you know there’s a goal coming.
“I think he’s in a good way at the moment, extremely confident, positive, happy and it’s nice to see.
“Everyone knows the quality he’s got, he’s class and he can be one of the best in the world if he keeps going.”
On Ten Hag, and the impact he’s made at United, he added: “I think at a top club it has to be like that, people can’t do whatever they want.
“Maybe that’s been part of the problem in the past with people getting away with silly little things but the manager takes that into consideration.
“You see today, if you’re not keeping the standards high then you won’t play.”