It is fair to say that the heart has so often ruled the head at Manchester United of late, with the powers that be showing far too much sentiment in what is a typically ruthless industry.
At a time when manager Erik ten Hag would have hoped to be closing the gap on rivals Manchester City, a mixed summer of business notably saw the Red Devils bring veteran asset Jonny Evans back to the club – almost a decade on from being deemed not good enough by Louis van Gaal.
Despite the heart-warming story of the Northern Irishman getting to live out his dream once again, and while he is certainly no busted flush – as his recent assist at Turf Moor would indicate – the 35-year-old is not the kind of figure that United should be targeting, particularly with City, by contrast, bolstering a treble-winning backline with the addition of £77.6m man, Josko Gvardiol this summer.
But, then again, should there be little surprise on the evidence of the Old Trafford outfit's recent business dealings?
This is a club, for instance, that awarded injury-prone dud Phil Jones a new long-term deal back in 2019, having also dished out a new contract to Eric Bailly soon after – despite the Ivorian also being a regular visitor to the treatment table.
In truth, the common theme at the Theatre of Dreams in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has been players outstaying their welcome, with that none more so the case than with polarising Frenchman, Anthony Martial.
How much did Man United pay for Anthony Martial?
With Radamel Falcao's brief time at United coming to an end at the close of the 2014/15 campaign – and with former title hero Robin van Persie also shown the door – Van Gaal had been chasing a new number nine to lead his attack for the foreseeable future.
After a summer of searching and speculation, it wasn't until deadline day that the enigmatic Dutchman finally filled that striking void with the addition of Martial, forking out an initial fee of around £36m – making him the world's most expensive teenager at the time.
The exciting prospect was undoubtedly something of a surprise, last-gasp capture for the Red Devils, although he had caught the eye amid his standout form for Monaco during the previous season, netting nine times and contributing four assists in Ligue 1.
Such high hopes did United have for the player that there were even conditions included in the deal which would see certain add-ons paid if Martial was to win the Ballon d'Or during his time in Manchester, emphasising his sky-high potential at the time.
What was said about Martial went he joined Man United?
While the size of the fee did spark obvious doubts among fans and pundits alike – with French journalist Philippe Auclair stating that the price tag had left people "speechless" back in his homeland – that was countered by the numerous plaudits that flooded the way of Martial.
Compatriot Louis Saha, for instance, even likened the emerging sensation to another icon of French football in the form of Thierry Henry, having exclaimed at the time:
"In France we call him the next Thierry Henry because he can play left or right, he's got a great ability with the ball, he can take on three, four players with ease, there is no problem. At the same time, the new generation have no fear."
Such comparisons – which were also made by L’Equipe magazine football writer Erik Bielderman, among others – were only heightened following the striker's stunning debut goal against rivals Liverpool, cutting in off the left flank before cooly finishing past Simon Mignolet, akin to Henry in his pomp at Arsenal.
That remarkable introduction to life at Old Trafford – and Martin Tyler's unforgettable commentary for Sky Sports on the day – will live long in the memory. However, for some, it may be easy to argue that Martial's time at the club has never again reached such heights.
What has gone wrong for Martial at Man United?
Only recently described as a "humongous waste of talent" by ESPN's Craig Burley, the 27-year-old has certainly not lived up to the hype over the past eight years or so, despite showing flashes of quality throughout his time in English football.
A promising debut campaign – in which he netted 17 times in all competitions – was followed by a difficult stint under Jose Mourinho following Van Gaal's departure in 2016, with the Portuguese coach ruthlessly handing Martial's number nine shirt to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
For any player, such a setback is likely to derail them somewhat – particularly for a young talent – yet the 30-cap international cannot use that as an excuse for the woes that have followed, as he has been frustratingly inconsistent to say the last.
So often hampered by injury, the £250k-per-week enigma has scored just 11 league goals since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, with his tally of 17 league goals the year prior now looking like something of an anomaly.
At any other elite club, a striker with such a limp goal return would have been shown the door far earlier, yet as is the way at Old Trafford, Martial remains a firm fixture of Ten Hag's first-team plans.
How has Martial performed this season?
With Ten Hag having been left with just the Frenchman and Wout Weghorst as his striking options in the second half of last season, the former Ajax boss has finally found a possible long-term striking solution, following the capture of £72m starlet, Rasmus Hojlund.
While the Danish speedster is certainly not the finished article – having scored just once so far this season – his differing quality from Martial was evident on debut against Arsenal, as he instantly made an impact on proceedings.
Seasons
Games
Goals
2015/16
31
11
2016/17
25
4
2017/18
30
9
2018/19
27
10
2019/20
32
17
2020/21
22
4
2021/22
8
1
2022/23
21
6
2023/24*
4
0
The 20-year-old was not only involved in Alejandro Garnacho's disallowed goal but also appeared to relish the physical battle with Gabriel and William Saliba in attack, while the man he had replaced, by contrast, 'barely made any impact' in the opening 60 minutes or so, as per GOAL's Richard Martin.
The hope will be that Hojlund can establish himself as the undisputed first-choice striker moving forward, with Martial – who has just a year left on his current deal – needing to be moved on sooner rather than later.
As has been the case in the past, United must not get tempted into handing an extension to the misfiring marksman, even after his bright performance away to Bayern Munich – in which he made a 'surprisingly big impact' off the bench, according to Martin.
That showing in Bavaria encapsulated the frustration with Martial as the talent and the quality is evident – as the prior comparison to Henry illustrates – yet it has been replicated far too often since 2015.
With the Red Devils having waited and waited for the centre-forward to finally explode, the Premier League giants must now realise that he is little more than a dud.