Anthony Martial: The Manchester United panic buy that could work out eventually

This time last week, few Manchester United fans had even heard of AS Monaco’s Anthony Martial, let alone watched him in action. So, how did the teenager end up making a €50 million move to Old Trafford?

Reports of an offer from the Red Devils for the 19-year-old broke in France shortly before les Monegasques hosted French champions Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 on Sunday. Details swiftly emerged revealing United were prepared to not only bid for him, but to make him the most expensive teenage player in history too.

Two days later, Martial signed a four-year contract at Old Trafford and has also been handed the number nine shirt. With Wayne Rooney realistically Louis Van Gaal’s only other alternative striker, the pressure on the Frenchman will be immense from the outset.

An Olympique Lyonnais youth academy product, Martial is one of French football’s best young talents and is on the verge of becoming a full France international during the current international break. It was les Bleus’ coach Didier Deschamps who gave the youngster permission to leave the team’s Clairefontaine base to travel to England to complete the deal.

By the time he returns to Manchester after the internationals, he will be ‘more expensive than Zidane’ as L'Equipe stated with incredulity in their headline on Tuesday.

So what sort of player are United getting in Martial and is he worth the fuss created over the last few days?

Martial is a fast striker who is strong, despite his relatively lean frame. He performs well wide, where his searing pace can hurt teams, but has played through the middle since the start of this year and fared well.

The teenager is good on the ball and moves intelligently, playing well when resting on the shoulder of the last man in the opposition’s defence - ideal for teams playing a counter-attacking style of football.

However, it is arguably his pace and strength, two important characteristics for players to be successful in the Premier League, that make him a good fit for English football.

It is no surprise that Martial is such an accomplished player already at his young age, because he came through Lyon’s famed Centre Tola Vologe having been nurtured from the age of 14.

In fact, had OL been able to get their way, the teenager never have left Stade Gerland and would have been playing his football with Hubert Fournier’s current crop of gifted youngsters such as Nabil Fekir, Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso.

Back in 2013, when Monaco landed Martial from les Gones for just €5 million, the move was hailed as a major coup because of his reputation as a youth level prodigy. Les Monegasques exploited Lyon’s situation of being registered on the Paris Stock Exchange and desperate to report balanced yearly accounts.

The principality outfit made their move at the last possible minute, forcing OL’s financially shrewd president Jean-Michel Aulas to sanction a move that he knew was poor business. But the seven-time champions were out of time and had no choice but to accept.

Since the news of United’s interest came to light, it emerged that Aulas was still able to do some intelligent dealing when letting Martial go. The Frenchman negotiated in a percentage of next sale clause with potential future add-ons and his club are now set to receive a significant amount of the transfer fee paid to Monaco.

The big issue with Martial is not whether or not he will be good enough for the Premier League. There is little doubt from those who have watched him closely in Ligue 1 that he has the potential to be one of the best exports from le Championnat in recent years.

Instead it is the timing and the size of the transfer fee that could be problematic. Martial was developing nicely under Leonardo Jardim with Monaco and a prolific spell of eight goals in his final 12 appearances of last season hinted at a strong 2015-16 term.

The France under-21 international scored just once this campaign before departing, in the 4-0 UEFA Champions League qualifying win over Swiss side Young Boys.

Martial is undoubtedly a player for the future and the 13-time Premier League champions have paid through the nose for that potential. He needs to become more consistent and that is something that will only come with time, patience and nurturing - as well as through his own natural maturity.

At this moment in time, Old Trafford is not the ideal place for a player needing time as Van Gaal’s men need someone for now and not the future.

Because of that, it makes Martial an expensive risk and it comes across as a panic buy no matter whether or not he was scouted by the club for some time. However, this risk has a considerable upside and even if he does not meet United’s needs immediately in terms of goals scored, ultimately he could go on to be worth every penny.