Discussion: Where does Anthony Martial’s future lie under Erik ten Hag?

As Manchester United continue to steam forward under the direction of Erik ten Hag, their attacking return has steadily been improving, but could Anthony Martial be the man to really propel the side into the elite category of teams?

When Erik ten Hag took charge of Manchester United in the summer, he had a number of decisions to make in regard to recruitment, retention and offloading.

There was one player who, despite the relentless new coverage of another certain Saudi Pro League player, was at the forefront of these decisions: Anthony Martial.

Recently returning from a disastrous loan spell at Sevilla for the second half of the 21/22 season, the 2015 Golden Boy winner was low on confidence and was touted to leave Old Trafford permanently, having failed to realise the potential he had joined the club promising.

Despite rumours of the Frenchman leaving, with other Premier League clubs such as Everton and Newcastle interested in his services, the 27-year-old remained at the club, igniting excitement amongst fans that new head coach Erik ten Hag could finally get the best out of Martial.

It now appears as though the Dutchman has certainly done close to what United fans had hoped he would, with Martial’s current G/A involvement rate in all competitions this season sitting healthily at just under 83 minutes. In comparison, Darwin Nunez’s G/A involvement rate for Liverpool sits at just over 108 minutes, while Harry Kane’s G/A involvement for Spurs is a little over 106 minutes.

Player	G/A Rate Across All Competitions (Minutes)
Erling Haaland	54.43
Anthony Martial	82.71
Harry Kane	106.68
Darwin Nunez	108.25
Gabriel Jesus	121.08
Kai Havertz	236.33

This G/A rate this far in the 22/23 seasons suggests the 27 year-old striker possesses the killer instinct needed to become one of the game’s deadliest in front of goal.

However, the problem when it comes to putting faith in Anthony Martial as the club’s main talisman up front comes from his lack of consistency in matches due to his poor injury and fitness record.

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For Manchester United to truly reach their peak under Erik ten Hag, they will need a centre-forward that can play and perform week in, week out, and guarantee the club at least 20 goals a season. There is little doubt that Martial has the ability required to do this when on the pitch, but the Frenchman’s injury record speaks for itself.

The 27 year-old has already missed 15 games this season before February, casting doubts about whether or not he can truly be the solution for Manchester United’s centre-forward concerns long-term.

Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Tuesday was a further damming indictment of precisely what has been holding Martial back during his 7 years at Old Trafford, with the striker forced off just before the 70-minute mark with another knock. The injury itself wasn’t what should concern about Martial’s ability to fulfil the role of Manchester United’s main striker, it was the reaction.

The instant reaction of the Manchester United fanbase to the removal of Martial, due to what has since been revealed as only a knock, was one of resignation rather than despair. There was not the surprise or anguish that you might expect if Casemiro had walked off with a limp, more the reoccurring feeling that Erik ten Hag would have to again shift his team to work around the void in the centre-forward role that has hindered his team more than any other position this season.

The simple question, therefore, emerges: Do Manchester United place their faith in Martial to continue his role as their main centre-forward option, or do they look elsewhere as the January transfer window becomes active?

There is, as would be expected, no clear answer, especially when the wider context of the club is taken into account.

It is obvious that United will need recruitment in the centre-forward position, but the complexities start deciding whether that is in the current January window or in the summer window that begins after the conclusion of the current season.

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With the club effectively up for sale or “seeking alternative investment” a move in January looks to be highly unlikely, with the ownership reluctant to provide the required funds for an adequate replacement. Furthermore, seeking recruitment, especially in the centre-forward/striker role, in January is particularly problematic due to the timing being halfway through the season. Clubs are reluctant to let go of their best assets in the middle of a campaign.

Manchester United falls victim to the complexities of signing players in January more so than most other teams in the league, as the teams they would look to recruit from will be, themselves, battling for European spots or titles in other leagues, further increasing the reluctancy to sell their proven goal scorers.

There is of course the option of signing an experienced striker in the upper age bracket on loan or permanently for a reduced fee, but this again offers its own range of problems. Evidence in recent seasons suggests that this may offer more problems down the line than it addresses in the present day, further giving good reason to stray away from this tactic.

The summer window instead offers a better opportunity for recruitment, with Manchester United demonstrating their ability to operate in this window more effectively under the club’s new leadership, having brought in Casemiro, Malacia, Antony and Lisandro Martinez in the summer window just gone.

Regardless of Martial’s position come the summer window, there simply has to be recruitment in this position.

The Reds will need to be prudent in their pursuit of any targets, with the reputation of the club being inefficient in the transfer window haunting their effort in previous years (Frenkie de Jong and Darwin Nunez come to mind). Any targets that would be suitable for United will be suitable for the other elite European clubs.

With the bags of potential and youth already present in the squad, United need to recruit a player with an abundance of game experience, but yet to his peak, most likely to be between the 25 to 28-year-old age range. This will mean that youth pathways won’t be blocked, but there is an effective cover to either replace or rotate Martial in and out of the team.

The last piece of criteria that is perhaps the most important for the club should they look to recruit a centre-forward with a view to becoming Manchester United’s main striker is that they must be a complete out-and-out striker.

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The club have a tendency in recent seasons to overload the squad with wingers at the detriment of their presence in the middle of the pitch. While their attacking output has been more than adequate this season, there is an obvious lack of threat in the hole where a striker would naturally be placed. Marcus Rashford has done a tremendous job when called upon to fill this void, but his most threatening position this season has been down the left-wing and he should be allowed to operate here free of rotation.

In addition to this, the quality already present in United’s wingers department in the likes of Rashford, Sancho, Garnacho, Antony and Elanga is already frightening, meaning that signing a hybrid, as appears to have become more common through the Premier League, would be counterintuitive.

With this all taken into consideration, there will be a number of decisions for the club to make both in the present and in the near future. Should the club continue to back Erik ten Hag to the extent they seemingly have so far, it is likely that the upward trajectory will continue for years to come, whether Martial is the main striker at the club or not.

The next clue that may tell us the perceived role of Martial moving forward could become apparent on Friday, as Manchester United host Everton in the third round of the FA Cup at 20:00 GMT.