One of the pleasures of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer renaissance at Manchester United has been the unleashing of Anthony Martial.
The Frenchman had already been one of the standout stars of the season under Solskjaer predecessor Jose Mourinho, but operating on his favoured left in a triumvirate of the equally resurgent Marcus Rashford - who the Portuguese manager almost always refused to play together -and Jesse Lingard.
So it’s again welcome news to Red Devils fans in an already scintillating start to the second half of the season, far from any Christmas hangovers, that the 23-year-old, arguably the most naturally gifted player Manchester United have on their roster is about to sign a long-term contract with the club (SkySports).
Martial’s future at Old Trafford was far from certain under Mourinho, who infamously pushed for the forward’s exit last summer - something that repulsed a significant proportion of the United fan base, left aghast that one of their best players was being shown the door so flippantly.
But rainbows are currently soaring over the red side of Manchester, with a genuine belief of securing a top four position in the Premier League by the end of the season. Martial’s apparent willingness to extend his tenure with United shows significantly how the mood has changed.
Martial was the world’s most expensive teenager when he signed for United for £36 million from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco during the Louis van Gaal era in 2015, cementing his place in United hearts with a beautiful debut goal against arch rivals Liverpool. Since then he’s wracked up a tally of 45 goals in 159 appearances.
In 2018/19 he is United’s joint top goalscorer.
United activated his one-year extension this season that was set to keep him at the club until summer 2020. His new contract is said to be a for a further five years.
Be sure to watch out for the extra raucous reception the winger is likely to get when he no doubt takes to the field at The Theatre of Dreams this weekend to face Brighton & Hove Albion, hoping to make it seven successive wins for his Norwegian boss.
