Manchester United's January transfer window plan could hinge on making one key signing

The cheers from a number of supporters that greeted Anthony Martial’s substitution during Saturday's Premier League clash against Bournemouth felt less like a watershed moment and more like the judge’s gavel being swung.

Manchester United fans have every right to feel annoyed with the French striker. It has now been more than eight years since he first pulled on a United jersey and he could hardly be bracketed as a club legend.

Alongside the likes of Raphael Varane, Casemiro, Jadon Sancho and Donny van de Beek, United are open to selling Martial in January should the right offer arrive. It might not.

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The attacker was essentially transfer-listed over the summer but his hamstring injury brought no takers. Martial’s contract expires in June and so the winter market is the final chance for a return to be reaped on his £44m-plus fee.

In truth, an exit would leave United in a similar situation to last year, except with United in a worse scenario in terms of competition up top. The club were right to mutually terminate the contract of Cristiano Ronaldo after he threw his toys out of the pram, but it also backed Erik ten Hag into a corner.

A massive summer spend meant little money was left to work with in January and so Wout Weghorst was brought in on loan to bolster numbers. He scored just twice in 32 matches.

Marcus Rashford’s career-best return of 30 goals papered over a lot of cracks last season which have started to re-emerge amid his poor form. It was always a gamble as to whether Rasmus Hojlund would be the immediate answer to the striker problem and it would be merciful to call his goalless 12