Anthony Martial Opens Up on Louis van Gaal, Wayne Rooney and Manchester United

Manchester United’s marquee summer signing Anthony Martial has admitted he’s unsure whether he can live up to his substantial price tag and that he’s still not fully aware whether he'll play as a centre-forward for his new employers.

The 19-year-old became the most expensive teenager in football history when he joined the Red Devils from Monaco on the final day of the transfer window. United shelled out an initial £36 million to bring him to Old Trafford, but the deal could eventually rise to a whopping £58 million. Martial has openly admitted he has doubts about whether he is worth that kind of money. 

“I don’t know if I’m worth €80m but I don’t worry about the sums,” he said, relayed by Chris Wheeler of the MailOnline. “I’m going for the football side of things, the price is between the clubs and I don’t see myself under any pressure. My family were really happy for me that I’m going to such a big club. They were a bit nervous given my high price but I’m going to stay focused.”

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Part of how Martial handles the expectation will be down to his new manager, Louis van Gaal. It’s going to fascinating to see how the Dutchman goes about integrating the talented but capricious forward into his side and just how significant a role he plays during his debut campaign. After all, as noted here by Transfermarkt, Martial has only played eight full matches in his career to date.

There has been some glittering early promise, though, as noted by OptaJoe:

According to the player, who is confident he can cope with the Premier League’s physicality, Van Gaal has reiterated that he expects the teenager to feature in a number of different positions across the front, per Wheeler’s piece:

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[Van Gaal] asked me my preferred position. I prefer to play in the centre but he told me I could play in a number of positions—it is the coach who decides but whatever position I play, I will do the best I can. 

Since I was young people have told me I have the right characteristics to play in England and I’m really keen to develop my game in the English league and prove my worth.

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Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe ran the rule over the young Frenchman and how he is likely to be used in the United team in his maiden campaign for the club:

Indeed, the teenager still has plenty to prove. He’s not a household name by any means and is apparently unknown to one of his new team-mates, captain Wayne Rooney.

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As was reported by the Manchester Evening News (h/t Sky Sports), Martial’s compatriot Morgan Schneiderlin revealed the Red Devils skipper had quizzed him about the player after links started to emerge in the press. But it’s not something that has worried Martial.

“It is normal that Wayne Rooney doesn’t know me,” he said, per Wheeler’s article. “He is a big player and next to him I’ll improve my game a lot.”

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Martial could be given a baptism of fire when he returns from international duty to join his new United team-mates, with the Red Devils gearing up for a crunch clash with rivals Liverpool. Whether Van Gaal will throw Martial in at the deep end remains to be seen, but a virtuoso display in that match would expedite his endearment among the United supporters.

The Frenchman seems a quietly confident young man, and those qualities should complement his stellar ability as he looks to settle in at Old Trafford. But the expectation on him will be unprecedented for a player so young, and while there are few denying the Red Devils have an enthralling forward on their hands, it’s likely to be some time before we see him at full tilt.