Manchester United legend Teddy Sheringham has suggested the reason for Anthony Martial’s loss of form is due to the striker not feeling loved.
The Frenchman has seen his form nosedive since the beginning of last season, only managing seven goals and nine assists in the 20/21 campaign.
So far this term he has struggled to get regular minutes and when he has, he has looked unmotivated and uninterested, particularly in the loss to West Ham in the League Cup.
The arrival of Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo has pushed him further down the pecking order, and he is now very much the fourth-choice striker behind the aforementioned two and Mason Greenwood.
But speaking to Sportsmail Sheringham believes he knows why:
“It’s similar to Harry Kane and Tammy Abraham, centre-forwards need to be loved.
“If you’re not feeling loved and appreciated, if you feel you have one chance to do well in the Carabao Cup and if you don’t, you’re not going to get anywhere near the Premier League games, it does put pressure on you.
“Tammy has gone to Roma and Jose Mourinho has said ‘go in there and if you miss chances, you’re not going to be out the team straight away’.
“When you are loved by a manager, you have that feeling. Martial obviously isn’t getting that at the moment because there are other players at the club in front of him and you feel like you have to snatch chances when you can.”
Rumours have indicated the 25-year-old could be available for transfer for around £40 million, but on current form and looking at his injury record it seems optimistic anyone will meet that valuation.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now has such a wealth of attacking options that’s it is hard to see when Martial will get another meaningful look in.
A move does seem best for both parties at this stage, with Martial reviving his career elsewhere and United reinvesting that money in either a midfielder or Erling Haaland next summer.