Red Devil Armada
Fansided

Alan Shearer gives verdict on Manchester United star

By Jyotirmoy Halder

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Anthony Martial of Manchester United during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Leicester City and Manchester United at The King Power Stadium on March 21, 2021 in Leicester, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Anthony Martial of Manchester United during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Leicester City and Manchester United at The King Power Stadium on March 21, 2021 in Leicester, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Manchester United won’t be visiting Wembley this season, thanks to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City in the FA Cup quarterfinal, who will now take on Southampton in the semi-final.

After a 1-0 away victory in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16 tie against AC Milan that secured the Red Devils’ advancement to the competition’s quarter-finals, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were coming into this game with momentum on their side.

Anthony Martial, who had missed the journey to the  San Siro, was back in the starting line-up, leading the forward line alongside Mason Greenwood. United conceded the first goal but were able to equalise before the break.

In the second half, a team that had a midweek off, totally outran Solskjaer’s side and stormed to a 3-1 victory, sending the Red Devils out of the FA Cup.

Alan Shearer does not believe the Manchester United star is a number 9

It was another poor performance from Martial, but he was not the only one having a rough day at the office. Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer, Alan Shearer, does not believe that the Frenchman is a number 9 although he did not put all of the blame on his shoulders.

While speaking on BBC after the match, Shearer pointed out how Martial can improve things for himself. As reported by Manchester Evening News, the Premier League legend said:

"“He was very isolated but then, sometimes you need help off of your teammates but you can also help yourself by putting yourself in better positions.“It was a really frustrating performance for him because when his teammates are looking for options from him, for him to come short and be the link-up play, a lot of the time I was thinking to myself ‘come on, help’.“Paul Pogba was looking for help and he needed a run off a forward but there was no one there.“In his defence, he never really had a midfielder who was prepared to run past him or give him that little bit of support that he so badly needed.”"

But he also does not believe that Martial is a number 9:

"“I don’t think he’s a nine, he doesn’t look comfortable in the nine position.“He doesn’t look like he’s got that hunger to score as many goals as he should.“It was a frustrating performance.”"

Manchester United fans haven’t seen the best of Martial this season. The 25-year-old has scored just 4 goals and registered 5 assists from 22 Premier League appearances. If the Frenchman’s dip in form continues, it is believed that the Red Devils will dip into the transfer market to bring in a new striker in the summer.

There could be further bad news for the Red Devils on this front as Edinson Cavani is being linked with a summer exit as well, with Boca Juniors being touted as a possible destination.

Home/Manchester United News