Why Martial could leave Man Utd and join Tottenham this summer

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 25 Jul 2021 02:40 CDT
• 4 min read

Jadon Sancho's move to Manchester United has delighted fans, players and neutrals alike, with the Englishman set to take the Premier League by storm after an incredibly productive time at Borussia Dortmund.

One man, however, who is unlikely to be enthralled by the move is Anthony Martial. The Frenchman struggled in the 2020/21 season, despite having an excellent campaign the year before, and the move for Sancho will see him drop further down the pecking order.

In 2019/20, Martial scored an impressive 17 league goals, which was boosted to 23 in all competitions, whilst he assisted six in the league and a further three in all competitions. All in all, he contributed to 32 goals in all competitions that year, and it looked as though he was set to kickstart his United career into action.

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However, with just 12 goal contributions in 2,421 minutes last year, the opposite happened; Martial's career has stalled.

A knee injury suffered on France duty in March certainly didn't help, and he will most likely be behind Edinson Cavani and possibly Mason Greenwood through the middle at United, whilst Marcus Rashford will be first choice on the left once he returns from his shoulder injury.

Furthermore, the addition of Sancho provides yet more competition for places, and Martial, partly due to his form, but also to his late-season injury, could find himself on the fringes.

That is why, according to the Daily Star, United are keen to sell the 25-year-old Frenchman. With Sancho secured for £72 million, and Real Madrid's Raphael Varane close to joining, United are reportedly looking to offload Martial to balance the books, and Tottenham are one of the interested parties.

Why are Tottenham interested in Martial?

Whilst he suffered a difficult 2020/21, Martial still has plenty of talent, as seen by his goal record the season before.

With Harry Kane's future still very much up in the air, Martial could well be the player that the Lilywhites target as a potential replacement for their talismanic forward.

Of course, Martial isn't as productive as Kane, but he offers something different from the England captain, and with Heung-Min Son tied down to a new contract, and negotiations for Sevilla's Bryan Gil taking place, Spurs could be looking at a fluid front three if Kane does end up leaving.

However, it's worth pointing out that Martial's current wages, which are reported to be around £250,000 per week, are a major stumbling block.

Daniel Levy, among others who are viewing Martial as a viable option this summer, isn't keen to cough up that kind of money for a fairly inconsistent player who will also cost around £50m.

But, Martial was left out of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's pre-season squad to face Queens Park Rangers on 24 July, and instead stayed at Carrington whilst the rest of the team travelled down to London. Donny van de Beek was also left at home, and it seems that the two may be in for a difficult few months on the sidelines unless they secure a summer move away.