Anthony Martial turns down lucrative move despite being without a club

Anthony Martial ended his Manchester United career in the summer of 2024 after a nine-year stay at Old Trafford that ultimately failed to live up to the hype which surrounded his transfer from Monaco as a potential teenage sensation.

The French forward got off to the perfect start with a sublime goal against Liverpool on his debut under the tutelage of Louis van Gaal, who spent a record-breaking fee for a teenager to bring him to Manchester.

However, the best part of £50 million never translated to consistent performances on the pitch, with his debut wonder strike arguably remaining the highlight of his stay at the club.

On the move again

Since leaving United, Martial has struggled to find his feet at either AEK Athens or Mexican side Monterrey after his loan spell with Sevilla failed to do enough to impress the Spanish outfit to take him on permanently when he officially cut ties with United.

He is now without a club and assessing his options after leaving Mexico under a cloud after a wretched season in North America.

As reported by footmercato.net, Martial has been offered a huge fee to make a shock move to North Africa, with Libyan outfit Al-Ittihad SC contacting him about a potential deal.

The report suggests the Libyans were ready to shell out a whopping €10 million over two seasons, with a €5 million signing-on bonus to secure his services after already signing former Premier League star Sofiane Boufal this summer.

However, Martial is said to have no interest in a move to Africa, as he “favours a real sporting project over the economic aspect for the rest of his career,” according to the outlet.

The 30-year-old looks keen to return to Europe after his Mexican nightmare, with Malaga the favourites for his signature as he attempts to revive his career for one final push in the big leagues.

Back at Old Trafford

United, meanwhile, are still struggling to find the formula to consistently perform at the top level, much as they did during Martial’s time at the club, with seemingly not much changing since his departure.

Michael Carrick is currently experimenting with an attacking line-up that shifts from a false nine to an out-and-out striker, given the lack of depth and quality in the squad.

The struggles up top were underlined in the powderpuff derby defeat to neighbours Manchester City, who managed to keep United at bay with relative ease despite having ten men for the majority of Sunday’s game.

United will hope to find their shooting boots tonight as Brighton travel to Old Trafford looking to continue their excellent record at the Theatre of Dreams and knock Carrick’s men out of the Carabao Cup in the third round.

Defeat would leave Carrick under huge pressure given the lacklustre start to the season and therefore INEOS, who will also be feeling the heat after an underwhelming transfer window looks to have left the manager facing the campaign with one hand tied behind his back.

Featured image by Azael Rodriguez via Getty Images