Fringe Manchester United star could be like a new signing for Erik ten Hag this season on one big condition

There is a new forward in town as Rasmus Hojlund gets set for life at Manchester United. And many would argue Anthony Martial’s future looks more away from Manchester than ever before.

When United signed Martial in 2015, the hype surrounding the Frenchman was that he could prove to be the second coming of Thierry Henry. After his debut goal against Liverpool when he turned Martin Škrtel inside out and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper, the hype went into overdrive mode.

Sadly, despite some flashes of brilliance, he has never truly lived up to expectations. Martial has hit double digits in goals in the league just thrice since his debut campaign in 2015-16. One of them was his debut season.

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Managers have come and gone and so has his supporting cast but Martial's inconsistency has remained. Often played on either the left flank or down the middle, the 27-year-old’s body language was often used as a stick to beat him with.

Turbulent years under Jose Mourinho certainly didn’t help his case. The Special One wanted to get the maximum out of Martial but the forward’s attitude and work rate was called into question. However, Mourinho relied on Martial to make an impact off the bench during the 2017-18 season. That season, only in 18 starts, Martial had a direct hand in 14 goals.

Then the hype returned. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Martial had his best season yet for United. During the 2019-20 season, Martial scored 17 times in the league and had six assists in his 32 appearances. Seemingly, United had finally found a manager that could get the best out of Martial.

That didn’t last long as injuries picked up and he