Old Trafford side have been rinsed £108m by “waste of talent”

Manchester United haven’t kicked on this term following a highly encouraging first season under the leadership of Erik ten Hag.

A League Cup triumph and a return to the Champions League following a year’s absence gave the United support some much-needed confidence that the club was trending in the right direction.

Although the Red Devils signed the likes of Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund during the summer transfer window, they trio haven’t exploded onto the scene at Old Trafford thus far, and it could take some time to see them really thrive.

This has subsequently led to the club underperforming on the pitch, and while injury issues have engulfed the squad, Ten Hag should have vastly improved the depth of the team during the window, something which he may regret now.

Six defeats in 11 matches across all competitions this term isn’t exactly the hallmark of a team who are gunning for success, and the supporters will be hoping the tie against Sheffield United this weekend proves to be a fresh start.

While Ten Hag failed to attract some big names to United in the summer, he also failed to move on some players who might not have a long term future.

Harry Maguire saw a move to West Ham United collapse, while Scott McTominay was also linked with a move throughout the summer, but both have remained in Manchester – until January at least.

Anthony Martial is another player who hasn’t particularly enjoyed much success under Ten Hag and with less than a year left on his current contract, United could lose him for nothing in January, signifying a major loss of money.

How much does Anthony Martial earn at Man Utd?

The Frenchman is currently earning £250k-per-week, which places him joint fourth out of the whole squad, behind only Jadon Sancho, Casemiro and Raphael Varane.

It is a big salary for a player who has failed to contribute effectively since the Dutchman took over United ahead of the 2022/23 season, and it’s clear that this sort of money could be better spent elsewhere.

How much did Man Utd sign Anthony Martial for?

Following a rather underwhelming debut season for Louis Van Gaal, he turned to the transfer window in order to improve his squad before the 2015/16 season.

Martial was arguably the most exciting signing, joining on deadline day for a fee in the region of £36m, making him the most expensive teenager in the world at the time.

15 goals in 70 appearances for AS Monaco was enough to convince Van Gaal that he was worth the extravagant fee, but fast-forward eight years later, and he hasn’t lived up to the vast expectations which were placed on him back then.

Louis Saha perhaps placed some undue pressure on the new arrival, saying: “In France we call him the next Thierry Henry because he can play left or right, he’s got a great ability with the ball, he can take on three, four players with ease, there is no problem. At the same time, the new generation have no fear.”

Despite the praise, he didn’t turn out to be the next Henry and has rinsed the club for millions during his stint in Manchester.

Does Anthony Martial deserve to earn £250k-p/w at Man Utd?

He enjoyed a wonderful start, scoring against Liverpool on his debut at Old Trafford, while going on to net 17 times across all competitions as the club won the FA Cup for the first time since 2004 and the future looked bright.

Under new manager Jose Mourinho, however, he struggled to build on this positive start, netting eight and 11 goals respectively in the following two seasons, while 12 were scored the season after, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had taken over and this gave Martial a much-needed boost.

He enjoyed his greatest-ever return in a United shirt during Solskjaer’s first full season in charge, scoring 23 goals and it certainly looked as though he was ready to finally fulfil his potential.

That was as good as it got for the Frenchman and over the previous three full seasons, he has found the back of the net on just 17 occasions for the Old Trafford side.

Is it any wonder then that Craig Burley described him as a “humongous waste of talent” following the recent defeat to Arsenal and his form this term has been underwhelming.

Indeed, he has fewer goals and assists in the Premier League than Maguire, Jonny Evans or Varane this term, while he ranks tenth in the squad for shots on target per game (0.3), 13th for big chances created (0.8) and 19th for successful dribbles per game (0.2), clearly giving off the impression that his future lies away from Old Trafford.

How much has Anthony Martial cost Man Utd?

Since arriving for an initial £36m transfer fee in the summer of 2015, Martial has earned a staggering £72m in wages up until the start of the current campaign,

The previous two full seasons have seen the forward earn a colossal £13m a year and considering his woeful record in front of goal, plus United’s lack of success, it is hardly money well spent by the club.

By combining his transfer fee and wages earned over the last eight years, Martial has somehow managed to rinse the club of £108m across a 424-week spell, a ludicrous number, and it proves just how badly the Red Devils have conducted themselves in the transfer market.

Ten Hag will be aiming to at least offload Martial for some sort of fee in January in order to add to his budget, while getting his eye-watering salary off the wage bill.

From prodigious teenager to overhyped flop, Martial’s career hasn’t gone to plan and while he is only 27 years old, his best days look like they are behind him.

If he makes the right move, there is a chance the former Monaco forward could regain his confidence and prove that he still has all the necessary abilities to impress, but the longer his poor performances drag on, the tougher regaining that early potential will be.