Why bother with Perisic when Manchester United have Anthony Martial?
As the summer transfer window continues its monotonous countdown towards September 1, Manchester United once again find themselves caught up in another transfer saga, this time over Inter Milan wide man Ivan Perisic.
With a £41m bid recently rejected a few days ago, Inter have dug in their heels to not let Perisic leave for no less than £50m plus Anthony Martial on loan as reported by the Daily Star.
United manager Jose Mourinho is reported to be a big fan of the 28-year old Croatian and continues to pursue Inter for his signature.
The ironic part of the situation is that United don’t need to bring Perisic or any other winger this summer — they already have the player they need in Anthony Martial.
Martial suffered the sophomore slump in his second year with Manchester United during the 2016-17 season, however, heads were turned with the dazzling display Martial put forth in Sunday’s win over Real Madrid.
Martial was given the full 90 minutes to impress Sunday, and he certainly seized his opportunity.
The France International set social media ablaze as Real Madrid fullback Dani Carvajal was left in his wake as he dribbled through the Madrid defense en route to setting up Jesse Lingard for the opening goal in United’s preseason victory.
Martial, despite being slightly off the mark last season, is still the right player for United. And at just 21-years old, he is primed to continue to grow and mature into the star United fans saw glimpses of in his debut season.
This isn’t to take anything away from Persic; but at 28-years old already, his best days ahead are limited and he just isn’t worth the £50m being asked for — especially since his arrival would only inhibit one of the brightest talents in European football from developing furthermore.
Despite missing a penalty in the shootout United eventually won, Martial was superb Sunday, bringing praises from not just the fans on social media, but manager Jose Mourinho himself.
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“I think today was a positive for him, that’s why I left him for 90 minutes on the pitch, he was enjoying and trying things. It’s important to try things in these friendly matches so it’s good for Anthony and his confidence,” said Mourinho in the post-match press conference.
Martial is still young, but his ceiling far surpasses that of Ivan Perisic’s.
The Frenchman’s pace and dribbling are electrifying, and if he continues to have performances like Sunday, he will find his playing time significantly increased during this next season, which promises to be congested with matches as United return to the Champions League.
“He is a young player, still time to learn, still time to improve, still time to develop,” said Mourninho.
Next: Manchester United: Mourinho asks for consistency from Martial
The future is bright for Martial and the rest of United’s squad and the correct decision is to invest in the the young talents at the club already, instead of splashing £50m on an aging winger.