Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has begun talks over a new contract at Old Trafford. According to recent reports, the Red Devils will offer him an opportunity to extend his current contract, which is set to expire at the end of next season with an option of a further year.
However, the Manchester outfit faces a tough battle to convince the Frenchman to pen a new deal at Old Trafford. Martial struggled to find regular first-team opportunities under Jose Mourinho last season after falling down the United pecking order following the arrivals of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in the last two transfer windows respectively.
Martial’s lack of game time has seen him being excluded from France’s squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup which kicks off in Russia next month. It is believed that the French talent will look to play football regularly next season and so a move away from Manchester might be his only option. The 22-year-old wide man had featured in 45 matches for the Red Devils last season, scoring 11 goals while grabbing 9 assists in all competitions. He has also earned 18 international caps for the French national team so far in his career.
Mourinho’s side might be reluctant to sell their prized asset to one of their rivals but the fact that Martial potentially has two years remaining on his contract indicates that the Reds of Manchester will look to sell him for a premium price rather than risk losing him for less or no money in the coming years.
United had a trophyless campaign this year so a summer overhaul of their squad might be required for Mourinho to stabilise the ship before his side can challenge for major silverware next term. There is an increasing need for them to bring in some more quality in this ongoing transfer window in order to bridge the gap to Manchester City in the upcoming season.
The Red Devils have an array of attacking players such as Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata vying for a place in the United first-team. Hence, they can afford to lose Martial and use the money generated from his sale to strengthen other areas of their squad.
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However, if Mourinho is planning to use Martial more often next season then it only makes sense for United to try and persuade him to pen a new, long-term contract at Old Trafford. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of Martial and whether he ends up making a switch away from Manchester this summer.
