Time to move on? Why Manchester United must offload their £100m-rated star this summer

Back in the summer of 2015, Manchester United acquired a promising French player from AS Monaco for an initial fee of £36m, thereby making Anthony Martial the most expensive teenage footballer.

Then Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal was looking at a potential superstar for United’s future. But little did Martial know that a year later, Jose Mourinho would replace van Gaal and drastically change the squad and the roles of each player.

Martial initially played as a striker but with the signings of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, he had to fight with Marcus Rashford for the attacking midfielder’s role. Following Sanchez’s arrival from Arsenal in January, Martial’s spot in the starting XI became even more dicey, thus hampering his development.

His agent Philippe Lamboley has recently revealed that his client is on the market and could leave Old Trafford this summer. Fellow Premier League outfits Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are said to be keeping tabs on Martial’s situation at Manchester United, who have slapped a staggering £100m price tag on the Frenchman.

The Red Devils want to keep Martial and are against the idea of selling him to a Premier League rival as they believe the youngster has the potential to become one of the best in the world.

United should look to cash in on Martial as keeping him actually does more harm to the club. The France international’s work rate was below-par last season and even when he was given the chance to start, he failed to step up and make a difference, ultimately increasing the frustration of the manager.

The money received from Martial’s sale will enable United to buy players, who can compliment the way United have been playing and help the club challenge for the Premier League title and the Champions League.

That being said, the Frenchman is still a great asset to United. He has thus far turned out 136 times in all competitions for the English giants, scoring 36 times and setting up 26 more.

It remains to be seen if any club make a move for Martial this summer, owing to his high price-tag. But both Martial and United could benefit if the youngster leaves Old Trafford for a fresh challenge in the summer.