Anthony Martial conned us at Man United - we thought he was something else

Manchester United paid a record-breaking fee for Anthony Martial in 2015 that he never quite lived up to at Old Trafford

United shelled out a staggering £36million, plus another possible £21.6m in bonuses for the then 19-year-old striker, making him the world's most expensive teenager at the time. Fast forward nearly a decade, and Martial's departure to AEK Athens on a free transfer in September was a far cry from his statement-making arrival at Old Trafford.

Despite memorably scoring against Liverpool on his debut and ending his first season with 17 goals in 49 games, Martial struggled to consistently deliver on his early promise. He never truly became United's centre-forward.

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Upon securing the young forward's signature, United manager Louis van Gaal was full of praise. "Anthony is a naturally talented, young, multi-functional forward with great potential," he said. "I believe this is the club for him to continue his development." Sir Alex Ferguson also had high hopes for the newcomer, declaring: "The boy Anthony Martial, he can be anything."

However, Martial's trajectory at United took a hit once Van Gaal made way for Jose Mourinho in 2016. Mourinho's approach didn't sit well with Martial, who expressed his discontent with early public criticism from the new coach. "It's true that I'd have preferred it if [Mourinho] told me directly, there's no need to say it in front of everybody," Martial admitted to RMC Sport. "After that, you definitely want to prove him wrong."

By 2018, his agent Philippe Lamboley revealed the player was considering