Anthony Martial has proved that he deserves to start ahead of Marcus Rashford and Alexis Sanchez at Manchester United
By Ali Akbar
Anthony Martial has had a great start to the 2018-19 season. Although some fans want Marcus Rashford and Alexis Sanchez to get more game time, we can’t allow the talented Frenchman to be dropped yet again by Jose Mourinho.
What a performance by Anthony Martial at Stamford Bridge!
When Manchester United went 1-0 down to Chelsea on Saturday I was expecting the worse. But Martial saved us from embarrassment with two goals that gave us the lead for most of the game (before Ross Barkley annoyingly equalised right before the final whistle).
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Nevertheless, that was a phenomenal game for the Frenchman, who put both Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford to shame by finding the net twice in a difficult game – something the other two have been struggling to do at the best of times at United.
Martial has three goals in six appearances so far this season in the Premier League. The last time Martial was in such good form was in the middle of last season – which came to an abrupt end after the signing of Alexis Sanchez.
https://twitter.com/AnthonyMartial/status/1053663616770162688
Whichever way you look at it, Sanchez has been immensely disappointing since his move to Old Trafford, given his reputation at Arsenal. Three goals in 19 appearances is a poor return no matter who you’re talking about. But what’s worse is that he has forced Mourinho to bench Martial as Sanchez prefers to play in the Frenchman’s favoured left wing position.
Rashford is also preventing Martial from getting game time. Perhaps Mourinho is pressured to play the Englishman due to him being an academy graduate and because of his great form for England. But in a red shirt, the 20-year-old has been poor for a while now.
On the other hand, Martial is currently the second highest goalscorer at the club after Juan Mata. In fact, since Jose Mourinho took over in 2016, no other player has contributed more goals than Martial, who has registered 23 goals and 18 assists in 96 games.
This doesn’t mean that either Rashford or Sanchez can’t start alongside Martial, but the Frenchman deserves to be the first name on the team sheet. Then Mourinho can decide whether to put either the Englishman or the Chilean on the right wing.
Hopefully the Portuguese has now realised the undeniable quality of Martial and will decide to start him against Juventus on Tuesday. If he scores against the Italian giants on the biggest stage, he could go on to have a very special season at Manchester United. Don’t ruin it, Mourinho.
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Do you agree that Anthony Martial should be starting week in and week out for Manchester United? Or should Jose Mourinho prioritise minutes for Marcus Rashford and Alexis Sanchez? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!