Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has confirmed that he will leave the club after eight and a half years this summer. The Frenchman signed for United on deadline day back in September 2015 under the management of Dutchman Louis van Gaal for £57.6 million.
Martial made 317 appearances for United since signing for the club, scoring 90 goals and 47 assists, which based on the form he found in the first few season and the time he spent at the club, is not the greatest – amounting to 0.43 goal contributions per appearance.
During his final season at the club, injury, which has been one of the dominant things for United, curtailed his goodbye season. He made just 19 appearances, scoring two goals and one assist – making his last appearance in a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United in January.
In a statement released on Monday evening by Martial on his Instagram account, he said:
“It’s with great emotion that I write to you today to say goodbye. After nine incredible years at the club, the time has come for me to turn a new page in my career.
“Since I arrived in 2015, I have had the immense honour of wearing this shirt and playing in front of you, the best supporters in the world! You have been an unwavering support, through the good times and the difficult. Your passion and loyalty have been a constant source of motivation for me.
“I’d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you’ve done for me. Your songs, your encouragement and your love for the club are memories that will remain engraved in my heart forever.
“I would also like to express my gratitude to all my team-mates, technical staff and all the members of the club I have met during my 9 years here. I am proud to have been able to share these experiences with you.
“Manchester United will always be in my heart. This club has left its mark on my career and offered me an incredible opportunity to play in front of you. I’m leaving to take on new challenges, I’ll always be a Red Devil and I’ll continue to follow the club’s results with passion.
“Thank you again for everything, and see you soon.
“With all my affection,
“Anthony Martial”
Martial’s career at the Old Trafford club started off brilliantly when he scored his debut goal at Old Trafford against Liverpool with United winning the match 3-1 with 17 goals for the club in his debut season. However, that kind of form did not always continue.
The Frenchman was kind of seen as a Nicholas Anelka type of player with lots of sulking if things did not go his way. His form dipped at times, as it did this season and last under Erik ten Hag. His pre-season campaign prior to the 2022/23 season was immense, but it did not continue.
Martial was a great player for United when he first signed and for a number of seasons after but what he gave the club for the most part of his career at the Theatre of Dreams will not be remembered as anything fantastic. He has a faction of fans who supported him throughout, which became toxic too.
Martial was a decent player for the club when he was banging in the goals but a majority of supporters of the club will be happy to see him leave the club this summer because of his wage being around £250,000 per week and him now really earning much of it.
Of course, that is not his fault, the amount of his wages, that is down to the bankers who used to run this football club and seemed to reward failure with riches. Martial should have been shipped out of the club last summer or the summer before, which would have resulted in a return for the club.
Now he will leave as a free agent with some major damage done to his career, which will obviously hamper him finding a new club this summer. No doubt he will find a new club though as a free agent. Journalists will criticise United if he finds goals wherever he goes, which is pathetic.
Written by Paul
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