Anthony Martial will be allowed to leave Manchester United for free at the end of the season.
The 28-year-old has an option in his contract to trigger an extra year until 2025, but United will not take up the opportunity to keep the Frenchman.
Martial, who joined the Red Devils in 2015 from Monaco, signed a contract extension in 2019. Since then, things have deteriorated so much for the striker that he spent the second half of the 2021/22 season on loan at Sevilla.
The Spanish Europa League kings opted against seeking a permanent deal for Martial, who has since been given a second chance under Erik ten Hag.
Martial registered nine goals and three assists in 29 games last season after being reintegrated into the squad, and during this campaign he’s often been picked over £73million summer signing Rasmus Hojlund.
However, production hasn’t followed, with two goals and an assist in 19 games, while there was a recent flashpoint against Newcastle.
Martial and Ten Hag were seen remonstrating with each other during a poor display in a 1-0 defeat
“Where Man United are,” he began. “I’ll try, without waffling – I think you look no further than Martial for what that club is all about.
“I used to write in The Sunday Times and about 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.”
