Former England manager Sam Allardyce has laid into Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, following the club’s 3-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Veteran English manager Sam Allardyce has hit out at Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial, insisting that the Frenchman ‘is not good enough’ and ‘has failed to deliver at the club’, as per a report from The Sun.
The 22-year old France international was handed a rare starting opportunity by manager Jose Mourinho against Brighton on Sunday as a result of Alexis Sanchez’s injury. But he failed to make most of the chance, as Manchester United succumbed to a shock 3-2 defeat at the Amex Stadium.
Martial was subbed off with half an hour left on the clock for midfielder Marouane Fellaini and former England manager, Allardyce believes that the striker has failed to deliver since joining the club.
Speaking on beIN Sport, the veteran manager said: “You’d look at Louis van Gaal who brought in Martial and it doesn’t matter who the manager is, Martial isn’t good enough for Manchester United. “If you want to be super critical and look at the players he’s got. He is not the player they thought they were getting.
The former Everton and West Ham United boss went on to say that the player himself at blame for his lack of development since moving to the club three years ago.
“There was a chance where you get a very big young talent for £50 million. But we are in his third season and he is no better than when he first came. He should have progressed. He should be as good as Leroy Sane and people like that. That’s not Jose’s fault.”
“Martial’s not good enough for @ManUtd.”#beINPL #MUFC pic.twitter.com/gb9HlSOPez
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) August 19, 2018
The 22-year-old arrived at Old Trafford in 2015 after being signed from Monaco by former manager Van Gaal for a fee of £36 million, with could potentially rise to £58 million. But the then world’s most expensive teenage footballer has struggled to live up to the hype after a solid debut campaign when he finished as the club’s leading goalscorer.
Last season, Martial managed just 11 goals in all competitions and was strongly linked with an exit from Old Trafford this summer, following claims from his agent that the Frenchman wanted a move away.
It is no secret that the 22-year old does not enjoy the healthiest of relationships with the manager. Mourinho, on various occasions during his tenure at United, has publicly criticized Martial.
The Portuguese confirmed last week that the Frenchman had been fined two weeks’ wages after he failed to return to the club’s pre-season tour of the USA following the birth of his child.
Allardyce’s criticism isn’t unfounded, considering how disappointing Martial was in United’s loss to Brighton this past weekend. And it remains to be seen if Mourinho opts to start with him again, when his team take on Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night next week.
