Man Utd flop's future takes another twist

Tom Weber

• 14 Feb 2024 18:09 GMT
• 3 min read

Anthony Martial will leave Manchester United in the summer, but a return to Ligue 1 is being played down by French media.

The Red Devils forward has been, on the whole, a major disappointment since moving to Old Trafford for a whopping €60 million in 2015. Not prolific enough to be a striker, not creative enough to be a winger, Martial has been a peripheral figure at the club for some time.

Few would have expected the 28-year-old to last nine years at Man Utd, but his time with the club is, at last, coming to an end. Erik ten Hag and company have decided against triggering a one-year extension in his contract and the Frenchman will depart Manchester in the summer.

Martial has not featured for Ten Hag's side since December due to several fitness issues and the recent form of Rasmus Hojlund and his attacking partners means that the former Monaco man likely won't see much playing time between now and the end of the season. Indeed, there were at one point rumours that Ten Hag had fallen out with Martial and banished him from the squad as he had done with Jadon Sancho in September.

What next for Martial?

In recent days, reports in UK media have surfaced linking Martial with a summer return to Ligue 1. It has been claimed that Marseille are interested in the 28-year-old, while a move back to Monaco also can't be ruled out.

French media, however, appears to disagree. According to Footmercato, there is absolutely nothing to the links with Marseille. Indeed, already in December, a tentative association between the struggling giants and Martial had been made, much to the chagrin of the Ligue 1 side who were said to be 'irritated' by the rumours.

The latest report asserts that there has been no contact between Marseille and the player's camp whatsoever. Martial's future continues to be up in the air and it is unlikely that it will be resolved anytime soon given that he is still working his way back to full fitness, not returning to Man Utd action for at least another month.