Manchester United are reportedly willing to include Anthony Martial in their bid to sign Borussia Dortmund attacker Christian Pulisic.
Martial has endured a mixed season under Jose Mourinho and looks surplus to requirements after just three seasons at Old Trafford. Alexis Sanchez’s arrival in the winter transfer window has also cut the Frenchman’s opportunity of an extended run in the team.
There is no doubting Martial’s talent and ability but the 22-year-old has failed to deliver performances on a consistent basis. Jose Mourinho seems to have had enough of the £65,000-a-week Frenchman and is willing to offload him, with reports suggesting that United are targeting Pulisic as a replacement.
Pulisic is one of the sought-after young attackers in Europe and has impressed the footballing world with his breathtaking performances. The USA international is a versatile player, capable of playing as a winger or through the middle and has garnered a lot of attention from Europe’s elites with his dazzling displays.
With pace and trickery, Pulisic is capable of beating his opponents and has contributed 4 goals and 5 assists in 31 Bundesliga appearances this season.
Due to Pulisic’s versatility, Mourinho might be tempted to allow a player-plus-cash swap deal involving Martial. United desperately lack a right-winger, with Marcus Rashford, Sanchez and Martial all being effective on the left flank.
While Jesse Lingard has made his name as No.10 this season, Juan Mata has been used on the right. However, the Spaniard has failed to deliver.
This leaves Mourinho in a desperate need of a speedy right-winger and Pulisic fits the bill perfectly. However, Mourinho must not forget what happened the last time he signed a player from Dortmund.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined the Red Devils after a blistering season with Dortmund but after an inconsistent 18-month spell, he left the club for Arsenal in January with Sanchez joining United in a swap deal.
Before Mkhitaryan, Shinji Kagawa joined United in 2012 but after failing to adjust to the Premier League, he returned to Signal Iduna Park in 2014.
Call it the hefty demands of the Premier League or mismanagement, both Kagawa and Mkhitaryan — two of Bundesliga’s most gifted attackers, flopped at United. This indicates that Mourinho must not go after Pulisic even though he is regarded as one of the golden boys in European football.
It would make sense for Mourinho to stick to Martial and not lose hope on the Frenchman. A lacklustre display at Brighton may have been the final nail in the coffin of Martial’s United career but Mourinho simply cannot afford the fan-favourite to leave the club in the summer as he is destined for greatness.