Rumour: Manchester United star forward Anthony Martial being tracked by Tottenham
What’s the story?
Tottenham Hotspur are planning to sign Manchester United star forward Anthony Martial in the summer transfer window, reports the Mirror.
The France international after bursting onto the scene last year, has failed to feature regularly since Jose Mourinho took charge at the club. The former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager has preferred to use Marcus Rashford on the left wing ahead of Martial.
Spurs are tracking Martial’s situation at Old Trafford and are hoping to lure the forward to North London with the promise of more playing time. The White Hart Lane outfit were reportedly looking at the option of signing him from AS Monaco in 2015 before United snapped up his services.
In case you didn’t know...
The 21-year-old was born in Massy and spent his youth years at CO Les Ulis. He was the part of the same team that produced two former Premier League stars, Thierry Henry and Patrice Evra. The latter, in fact, made sure he kept a close eye on Martial’s development when he was in the French capital.
Martial’s impressive displays saw him being snapped by Lyon in 2009 and after spending three years with their academy, he was handed a start in the first team.
Monaco signed the forward a year later and this is where he attracted top clubs across Europe.
The heart of the matter
Under Louis van Gaal, Martial was the star player at United in the 2015-16 season. He scored 17 goals in all competitions and was the Red Devils’ leading goalscorer in the previous term. The Dutchman was relieved of his duties days after he helped United win the FA Cup but failed to secure a spot in this season's Champions League.
Martial has struggled to impress under Mourinho and that has seen him being linked with a move away from United after the end of the season. He made his first start after almost a month against Watford, where he was the star of the match with a goal and an assist.
Also read: Manchester United star rubbishes exit talk amidst interest from France
What’s next?
United are increasingly confident of signing Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann and the potential arrival of Martial’s compatriot in the summer will see him have more competition for a place in the starting lineup next season.
The former Monaco forward will have to impress Mourinho in the remaining fixtures of this season. And a failure to do so could see Martial’s United future come under jeopardy.
Tottenham are thus keeping a keen eye on the youngsters in order to take advantage of the situation in order to sign him, should such a situation arise at Old Trafford.
Sportskeeda’s take
United and Mourinho should keep Martial beyond the next summer transfer window as the Frenchman has all the ingredients to become a world class talent. He, however, needs to prove it to the Portuguese tactician that he has what it takes to make it at United during the training session and also on the pitch.