Man Utd’s decision to release €1.4m-per-goal striker confirmed
Robin Bairner
- 11 Dec 2023 10:40 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United have no intention of extending Anthony Martial’s contract beyond the end of the season, according to David Ornstein.
The Red Devils have the option to extend Martial’s deal by a year, but according to Ornstein, they would rather release him as a free agent at the end of this season than persist with him for another season.
He has played 19 times for Man Utd this season and scored only a couple of goals, just one of which was in the Premier League.
The 28-year-old enjoyed a personal best season in 2019/20, when he scored 17 Premier League goals in 32 matches but has been beset by injury problems since then and has netted only 12 top-flight efforts in the subsequent three-and-a-half years.
Speaking after the 4-0 loss to Bournemouth, manager Erik ten Hag was asked about the four players with expiring contracts at Man Utd, with Martial included in the group with Victor Lindelof, Hannibal Mejbri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
He said: “Those contracts are in our mindset; we are discussing things and when we have news we will bring it.”
But it seems that United are now prepared to cut their losses on the player and seek alternatives in attack, the Athletic reports. Ornstein says that it will take a change of plan in order for the Red Devils to retain the forward they signed from Monaco in 2015 for €60m.
How much did Martial cost Man Utd per goal?
Martial’s record in recent seasons is put into stark reality when the cost of each goal he has scored in studied.
Since signing a new contract with the club in January 2019, worth an estimated €290,000 (£250,000) per week, he has scored 44 goals for the club in all competitions.
In return, he has earned close to €60 million, meaning that for every goal he has scored under the terms of his new deal, he has earned €1.37m in return.
