Anthony Martial has never lived up to the potential he showed during his early days at Manchester United. From scoring that goal against Liverpool on his debut, his progression stalled due to a combination of injuries, poor form and changing management.
Martial did show his best performances in a United jersey while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was at the helm during the 2019-20 season, where he scored 23 goals in all competitions, forming a great partnership with Marcus Rashford up front.
READ HERE: Brilliant Twitter Thread Shows How Sheffield Club Found Way Around Football Ban
Despite his relatively good relationship under the Norwegian, Anthony Martial has spoke out against his former manager, saying that he was played on numerous occasions whilst carrying an injury.
Anthony Martial on Solskjaer
Speaking to France Football, Martial said:
The last two seasons, I have regularly played injured. People don't know that, I couldn't accelerate during the four months following the Covid season. Solskjaer tells me that he needs me, so I play
Given my game, if I can't accelerate, it becomes very complicated. And I get criticised — the coach never bothered to tell the media. Obviously, I end up getting injured for good and when I come back, finished, I don't play anymore.
With Manchester United's attacking options and overall squad in disarray over the past number of seasons, it's easy to see where Solskjaer was coming from in needing his best players on the pitch. Using Anthony Martial whilst he wasn't 100% fit has only made his injury woes worse.
After spending the second half of the 2021/22 season on loan in La Liga with Sevilla, the Frenchman returned back to Carrington this summer for pre season under new manager, Erik ten Hag.
After showing glimpses of his former self in pre season, it looked like the former AS Monaco striker could be in with a chance of being Ten Hag's new number nine. Sadly, for Anthony Martial, injury has struck again and he has appeared just once so far this campaign.
With 30 caps to his name for Les Bleus, a place in France's World Cup squad looks practically impossible, but still only at the age of 26, Anthony Martial has plenty of time to get his career back on track.
SEE ALSO: US Head Coach Says Thomas Tuchel Being Fired Could Be 'Positive' For Christian Pulisic
