Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre has spoken with Talksport regarding Anthony Martial’s difficulties this season. After arriving from AS Monaco for a fee of £36m on 2015’s summer transfer deadline day, the then-unknown French forward went on to score on his debut for the club against Liverpool, and bagged 17 goals in his maiden season at Old Trafford under Louis van Gaal.
Under Jose Mourinho, Martial has scored 6 goals in 22 appearances, and has frequently found himself out of the starting XI whilst also being publicly challenged by his manager to prove his worth and offer consistency. Silvestre has offered his own explanation of what has affected his countryman this season:
“He had a difficult summer with France – he had a game where he didn’t perform and he was out of the team – and you have to remember the episode of getting his number [taken away] for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to take. He was not happy about that.
‘We always say when you have a good first season it’s hard to [continue performing] and we have to put that on the fact he’s still young and still learning. I hope he keeps patient, and won’t do a Pogba, like he did and head to Juventus.”
