Anthony Martial: We want to win the Premier League title
Martial joined Manchester United under former manager Louis Van Gaal and has lofty ambitions set for his third season at the club. Can the Red Devils turn expectations into reality?
Speaking to Inside United, the official Manchester United magazine, the young Frenchman didn’t hold back from stating his own aims as well as the club’s aims. Mourinho had already claimed he believes the squad are capable of challenging and should a title win transpire, Old Trafford will need Martial at his best.
“As a squad, we haven’t really talked about specific aims for the season too much so far, but the goal is to win as many titles as possible. That is what we tried to do last year and it’s what we are going to try to do this year. Personally, my main goal is to win titles and medals, of course.”, said Anthony.
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Despite the competition for spots, Martial continued, “I also want to play the most. I have always wanted to play since I was young and so now I’ve got to do my best to win the title. I do set myself targets for appearances and goals but I keep that to myself.”.
“Everybody in the league has been reinforcing, buying players, so it is going to be ever better and much more exciting for everyone – both for us and for those watching the Premier League. We also have the Champions League to look forward to again and I think that is a competition that every team wants to win.”, the former AS Monaco man bemused.
However, Martial was aware of how tough that’ll be, saying “It is a difficult competition and you have to work hard from the beginning to the end. We will see how it goes. Anything is possible. But the main aim is the Premier League title. That is what we want. When you play football you’re playing to win, not to be second or third. So we’re going to do everything we can to achieve this.”.
The pacy striker/winger seemed to struggle last year in Mourinho’s first season in charge as personal problems and adapting to a new manager collided. Of course there’s also the age factor; he’s young and will perform inconsistently until he gains enough experience to perform well week in and week out.
However, there were plenty of positive signs despite his underwhelming season and considering how his debut year went, there’s a lot of reasons to believe in Martial. He’s raw talent and it will take some time to turn him into a true world beater, just as it will with Rashford. Both players looked impressive and sharp in pre-season so it’ll be interesting to see who performs better.
The competition between the two will be intense and should bring out the best in both of them. They’re directly fighting for the same positions whether it’s left wing or striker but with Lukaku set to be Mourinho’s main forward this season, it’s more likely the pair will battle it out for the wide position.
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Game time will be crucial and while Martial may not play in his preferred position, he will have to make the most of his minutes and truly earn the right to lead Manchester United’s attack. If he compliments his substitute appearance against West Ham (1 goal, 1 assist) with another against Swansea, there’s no reason why he can’t have a truly outstanding season under Jose.