Have Manchester United Become Too Dependent on Anthony Martial?

At least Wayne Rooney didn’t falsely pretend to know who Anthony Martial was, like many of his Manchester United team-mates did.

When news of the French teenager’s record £36 million move to Old Trafford broke, the Red Devils captain sought out compatriot Morgan Schneiderlin for some insight. 

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“To be honest, yesterday on the plane, Wayne Rooney came to speak to me and asked me who Martial was, because the English press had started to speak," said Schneiderlin, per James Dickenson of the Daily Express, following Martial’s signing on deadline day.

"I told him he's a great player with great potential, who has played some good matches with Monaco last season and the beginning of this.”

It didn’t take long for Schneiderlin’s praise to be vindicated, and one doubts whether the French midfielder is asked for his opinion on Martial any longer.

The teenager might have been something of an unknown quantity upon the completion of his move from Monaco, but now everyone knows exactly who—and how good—he truly is. 

But with Martial ruled out through a foot injury suffered in France’s friendly defeat to England at Wembley last week, United have been confronted with the reality of their reliance on the young striker.

The 19-year-old has made just eight Premier League appearances, but the Old Trafford club are already somewhat dependent on Martial. 

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Against Watford on Saturday, United were slightly fortunate to come away with three points after Troy Deeney’s stoppage-time own goal gave the visitors the victory. It certainly wasn’t their worst performance of the campaign, but as has been the case for much of the season, United looked short of attacking creativity and presence. 

Without Martial, Louis van Gaal’s side lose a dimension in the final third—especially when Rooney and Marouane Fellaini are sidelined too, as they were at the weekend. At 19, the Frenchman is United’s most mature and accomplished attacker, showing composure far beyond his age. 

Martial was bought for the future, as confirmed by Van Gaal himself. 

“Yes I spend a lot of money on Martial, but I buy him for my successor, Ryan Giggs,” he revealed, per James Robson of the Manchester Evening News.

Yet Martial has delivered immediately in his United career, and what’s more, the Old Trafford team have become dependent on him delivering. Their Premier League title challenge could rely on it.

The former Monaco prospect returned to training this week, along with Rooney and Fellaini, ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League group-stage clash against PSV Eindhoven—restoring Van Gaal’s attacking options following a rather bleak week on the fitness front.

However, Martial’s injury over the weekend still raises a question over United’s final-third depth.

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Of course, the impact of Martial has been accentuated by the failings of those around him.

Were it not for the captain’s band on his arm, Rooney would surely have lost his place in the starting lineup by now. 2015 will go down as a landmark year for the 30-year-old, having passed Sir Bobby Charlton as England’s all-time top goalscorer; but at club level, it could be remembered as the year his decline as a top-tier footballer became terminal.

This season might mark the beginning of the end for Rooney at Old Trafford.

In recent weeks, Martial has more often than not found himself on the left wing, taking the place Memphis Depay was presumed to fill when he was signed for £25 million from PSV during the summer. However, the Dutchman has largely disappointed—despite his opening goal against Watford on Saturday—so Martial has been shifted out to the flank.

It illustrates the versatility of the French international that Van Gaal—so often a hard man to please—feels comfortable fielding Martial in a variety of positions. Regardless of where he plays, the teenager is an asset to United’s front line and their most commanding player in the final third. 

Van Gaal insists he is not surprised by the start Martial has made at United, but his eyebrow must surely have been raised at the ease with which the French teenager has adapted to his methods and practices in such a short space of time.

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“I’m not surprised by him, no, because we have analysed him and bought him because of our analysis,” said the United manager, per David Anderson of the Daily Mirror. “In the consistency, he has surprised me, but in terms of his ability, no. Because we have known already for a long time he can do it.

“Young players are not normally consistent—they’re still looking for their identity in football. That’s why I have asked for time for him. But I have said that Anthony is rather good and consistent, even though he is still looking for his own identity at this level of football.”

The United boss is right in some ways—Martial has indeed shown consistency uncommon for a teenager—but it is his team that is still searching for their identity, not the French teenager. It’s for this reason that Martial has so easily made such an impression on the Old Trafford club. In fact, it could be claimed that the Frenchman has given United an identity—particularly their front line.

Martial’s decisiveness in front of goal is what first caught the eye of those looking to assess his move to United, but his impact cannot be quantified in such a way. He has now gone five games without finding the net, and yet his importance to Van Gaal and his side remains as strong as ever.

Whether as a left-winger or a centre-forward, Martial has become the player that defines Manchester United.