Manchester United Transfer News: Anthony Martial Eyed by Tottenham, Top Rumours

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keeping tabs on Manchester United striker Anthony Martial with a view to making a transfer bid in the summer. 

Martial made a goalscoring return to the United lineup in their 2-0 Premier League win over Watford on Feb. 11, in what was his first starting appearance in almost a month. 

But his future at Old Trafford remains uncertain, and Spurs could offer the France forward an escape at the end of the season, wrote Adrian Kajumba of the Mirror.

Martial has struggled to feature regularly in manager Jose Mourinho's plans this season and has made just 10 starts in the Premier League, leading the Portuguese to question his work rate.

Per Paul Vinnell of Sky Sports, Mourinho said of the 21-year-old ahead of a 0-0 draw with Hull City earlier in the month: "He has done enough to be on the bench. He has to perform better than the others who are competing for the same positions."

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For Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, landing Martial would certainly give Spurs a pacy attacking option alongside Harry Kane.

With his direct running style, Martial is an attacker who can get fans off their feet and put defenders on the back foot.

He is blessed with searing pace and provides a real threat with exceptional close control and dribbling skills when facing up the opposition.

Spurs can sometimes lack an edge up front, particularly in tight matches. And while Pochettino can support Kane with Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son, neither has the out-and-out pace and attacking instinct that Martial would bring to White Hart Lane.

Martial's underwhelming campaign is in stark contrast to his debut season in England, where he burst onto the scene and grabbed 11 goals in the Premier League.

His arrival from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in a £36 million deal, potentially rising to £58 million, in 2015, demonstrated that United were willing to make a bold investment in his potential.

Indeed, per Chris Brereton for the Telegraph, Martial's strike against Watford was his 24th, putting him one goal away from activating a clause that would see United pay a further €10 million (£8.52 million) to his former employers.

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Arguably, with such an investment made, United would be reluctant to let Martial depart and are more likely to trust that Mourinho can nurture the talented youngster into becoming a club legend.

Martial can play across a front three but when he has featured this season, it has generally been in support of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from wide positions.

There are a number of options available to Mourinho, including Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata, but, with his speed and agility, Martial offers something different to the side.

If Martial was to move on this summer, it would be somewhat of a surprise if he was sold to a domestic rival such as Spurs. It would likely be a transfer Mourinho would be loath to sanction and one United could regret over a player with so much potential star quality.