Manchester United finally make the right choice on talented attacker

Anthony Martial may not be a perfect Premier League attacker, but Manchester United are smart to keep him in the fold ahead of next season. 

Manchester United have flirted with the idea of selling Anthony Martial for months. Luckily for supporters at Old Trafford, the French attacker now seems destined to persevere at the club for at least one more season.

According to The Telegraph, United officials have reversed course and decided to resist the temptation to offload Martial this summer. Instead, they’ll give him another opportunity to work his way into manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s good graces.

The challenge for Martial at United seems to be finding his ideal position. He prefers to play in a central attacking position either in a midfield three or as a striker. The presence of Bruno Fernandes at the club means Martial will always struggle to log meaningful minutes as the team’s No. 10 in big matches.

Martial also lacks the physical size required to play as a stand-alone striker against rough and tumble Premier League defenders. Deploying him as a wide attacker is really the only way United can get him on the pitch consistently.

Selling Martial would have been a costly mistake for Manchester United

Martial may be an awkward fit at United currently, but he’s simply got too much attacking talent to give up on. Selling him for the £50 million United were thought to be asking for this summer would have been a colossal transfer mistake for the club.

United officials should make it clear to Solskjaer that it’s his responsibility to find a way to get more production out of Martial moving forward. That likely means providing the Frenchman more freedom to move around the attacking third. Keeping him anchored to one touchline is a poor use of Martial’s talents. Letting him flow freely into the middle of the pitch with the ball at his feet could unlock the player’s best football.

At the very least, keeping Martial in the fold gives United another chance to forge their best overall attack next season. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if 2021-22 turns out to be the Frenchman’s breakout campaign.