A little under six years after signing him for £50million, Manchester United appear set to finally accept that Anthony Martial does not have a future at the club.
The Red Devils are reportedly ready to offload the Frenchman to Inter Milan after his failure to bring any consistency to his game.
The questions over why United had paid so much for him began as soon as the deal was announced, with many puzzled as to why they had signed a player who had scored just 11 goals in 49 games for such big money.
Red Devils boss Louis Van Gaal immediately attempted to play down the belief that the then 19-year-old would become a first-team option straight away.
“Anthony is a naturally talented, young, multi-functional forward with great potential,” the Dutchman said when the move was announced.
“He has all the attributes to become a top football player; however we need to give him time to adjust to his new environment and the rhythm of the Premier League.”
Those comments from Van Gaal proved to be misleading, with Martial scoring three goals in his first two games to give United fans hope they had a new goalscoring hero.
It was certainly an encouraging first season for the attacker, as he earned a regular place in United’s starting line-up.
He finished the campaign as the Red Devils’ top scorer, earning praise from Sir Alex Ferguson and becoming the third youngest player to win a Premier League Player of the Month award.
After a starring turn in the FA Cup semi-final win over Everton, he also played all 120 minutes of United’s FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace.
Those performances saw him named Golden Boy for 2015, an award previously won by Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero.
Unfortunately for United though, that was about as good as it got for Martial at Old Trafford, as he quickly fell out of favour under Van Gaal’s replacement Jose Mourinho.
The Frenchman fell behind Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard in Mourinho’s pecking order.
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The Portuguese boss encouraged Martial to follow the example of Mkhitaryan and work harder to improve his form.
“Every player is different. I had this season a situation that was more difficult than Anthony - Mkhitaryan,” Mourinho told SFR Sport in December 2016.
"Mkhitaryan was completely open and completely understood the difference between me and other coaches he had.”
He scored just four Premier League goals that season, with the next campaign even more disappointing as he was mainly selected as a substitute.
With Martial having failed to score a single goal after January 2018, many believed he would depart in the summer transfer window.
That did not happen though, with United opting to keep him at Old Trafford, leading to Gary Neville to demand he finally realise his potential.
“There is nothing more disappointing in life than not seeing someone realise their potential and talent,” Neville said in August 2018.
“This guy has got everything you would want. Speed, can dribble, beat a man, composure in the final third. Come on.”
Surprisingly, he did manage to work his way back into the United team, winning the club’s player of the month award that September.
His rising trajectory continued after Mourinho was sacked, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer handing him a new contract in January 2019.
Solskjaer was clearly excited to work with the Frenchman and hailed United as the “perfect club” for him to realise his talent.
“For a young man, he has a good footballing brain which, when coupled with his exceptional talent, makes for a player with an exciting future ahead of him,” Solskjaer said.
“This is the perfect club for Anthony to progress his development as a top-class forward and we are all delighted he has signed a long-term deal.”
This show of confidence appeared to be the kickstart that Martial needed, as he reached double figures for goals that season.
The next campaign was an even better one from the Frenchman, in what was his first season as United’s leading striker.
He finished that campaign as the club’s top scorer, becoming the first Red Devil to score a hat-trick in the Premier League since April 2013 when he scored all the goals in a 3-0 win over Sheffield United.
But despite that impressive season in front of goal, Martial clearly failed to prove he was a long-term option though the middle.
The club opted to bring in Edinson Cavani from PSG, with the Uruguayan becoming Solskjaer’s first choice striker.
Martial fell totally out of favour at Old Trafford, barley making an impact when selected out wide.
His performances ensured he came under fierce criticism, with Graeme Souness questioning his desire to play.
“The bottom line is you can’t trust him, you don’t know what you’re getting from him and at a big club like United you cannot have that with your No.9,” Souness said in March.
“At United, you have to be at it every week, not picking games or moments in games when you fancy it. You’re not describing a big player if you say that.”
With Martial having failed to prove he can live up to his hefty price tag, United are now ready to finally accept he will never come good at Old Trafford.
Inconsistency is how most would describe him, with United now reportedly ready to sell him for £50m, having delayed the inevitable for a number of years.
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