Sure, it's still a lot of money. Nobody can deny that. But amidst all the doubters and those who called United and Van Gaal crazy for spending so much money on an unproven teenager; I've been hearing nothing but crickets from all those nay-sayers. I was one of them but I've had my mouth firmly shut by the exploits of Martial.
You have to put it into the proper context what this kid is doing. He was coming into one of the most famous clubs in the world, with price-tag that plainly said he was to be the next Cantona, Cristiano and Van Nistelrooy of this team. You think about all that pressure, his age and the fact he was moving into one of the toughest leagues in the world from Ligue 1, which is as competitive as wrestling a baby. It was set up nicely for him to fall flat on his face.
Think again.
Martial is without a doubt, United's best player. Without him, they are seventh or eighth in the table. This is a kid that can score goals, can dribble, take men on, and can provide as well. He is always moving forward, trying make things happen. He's got that acceleration but uses it intelligently. Whether he is out on the wing or in the attacking position where he is most natural, he puts his head down and puts in work.
I heard critics from some United ex players that he doesn't show enough emotion. They don't see the desire in his face that they would expect from someone who wear the famous jersey. But why should he? Does screaming, shouting and spitting out blood make you into a great player?
Martial does all his talking on the pitch, and what I like about his silent but deadly nature is he just focuses on his work. He never dives, whines to the referee or get agitated if things don't go his way. The boy just plays the game the right way, and has been United's solitary engine when going forward. When you couple with the fact of how old he is, you can only wonder what he can become if he keeps on improving at United under the proper tutelage.
I am waiting for that great striker. I'm not talking about Cristiano or Messi. They may score a hell of a lot of goals, but they are not natural strikers and don't play like one. Martial has that striker's instinct, in the same vein as Henry and dare I say Ronaldo. There is that mentality of always trying to find a shot, and if one doesn't present itself he is constantly trying to progress his team forward. You get some players who always want to look to make the easy pass and rarely run with the ball, then you have those like Martial who only have the mindset of moving forward.
I love that.
Hopefully, Martial can go on and keep putting in great performances for United this season but it's all about those Euros. He and Griezmann are two of the most exciting young players in the world, and they're in the same team. I am praying and hoping that Martial really erupts in the tournament, doens't get an injury and we can hopefully be on the cusp of a the next great striker, and perhaps it can signal an arrivel of forwards that the game has sorely missed.
Comment below using your Facebook or Twitter Account.
HH
