Liverpool great Graeme Souness believes Anthony Martial represents a ‘decade of poor footballing decisions’ at Manchester United.
The Frenchman arrived at Old Trafford in 2015 as one of football’s brightest prospects, signing from Monaco aged 19.
Martial showed promise with 17 goals in his debut season but has only surpassed that once, scoring 23 in the 2019/20 season. Despite injuries last season, he has managed only two goals in 18 appearances this term, contributing to Manchester United’s inconsistency. Souness suggests that keeping Martial despite his goal drought reflects poorly on the club’s decision-making.
Speaking on White and Jordan on talkSPORT, the former Liverpool man said: “Where Man United are, I’ll try, without waffling, you said we can talk about Martial later, I think you look no further than Martial for what that club is all about.
“I used to write in The Sunday Times, it must be four or five years ago I wrote ‘This has to be Martial’s last chance saloon moment.’ They had given him another contract and he didn’t deserve one so by mentioning his name, what I mean is they have, for a decade, made consistently poor decisions in the footballing matters.
“The most important thing you have to get right at a football club is your recruitment and then on top of that, who you think you can afford to sell, who’s no longer a Man United player, who’s not fit or good enough to be a Man United player, who doesn’t show the right attitude.
“These are things… you’re playing for Man United, you’re playing for that shirt, you’re playing for a club that stands for all the good things about football in their past.
“You’ve got players who are going through the motions now, now that comes back to the manager. Martial represents, for me, a decade of poor football decisions, the fact he’s still at the club.
“And I tell you what happens with the likes of Martial, you watch him in training one day and go, ‘Bloody hell he’s a player, there’s a real player in there.’
“But how many chances does he need to prove he’s a big-club player, his chance went five years ago, he shouldn’t be there, and he is just one of several major football decisions they’ve got wrong.”
Jim White then asked why Erik ten Hag is not saying similar, with former Liverpool captain replying: “As a manager, and I understand the game has changed dramatically in terms of what you can say publicly and what you can’t, he’s got to keep these players onside.
“This is why I stopped being a manager, it must have been 17/18 years ago, I realised the tail wags the dog now. If you fall out with one player, you’re not just falling out with him, he digs out Martial, Ten Hag ain’t falling out with just Martial.
“He’s falling out with Martial and his best mate in that dressing room, and his best mate and his best mate, so he could fall out with four or five people.”