Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher are enraged at the fact that Manchester United starlet Anthony Martial is not playing as the number 9 every game for Manchester United.
Frenchman Anthony Martial has been compared several times to compatriot and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and the latter has stated that Martial should be leading the attack as the main striker, not positioned on the wings as he is currently being played.
“What are you doing here? I actually do not know what he is doing there,” Henry said of Martial on Monday Night Football. [via: Sky Sports.]
“He should be there [in the penalty area], having a one versus one, scoring and celebrating. Is it fear? Is it because they have been brainwashed a bit too much? I just don’t get it… I think if I had a player like that, he would be my No 9 and the rest are around him.”
Put the blame on LVG .
Henry’s fellow on-show pundit, Jamie Carragher, agreed with the Arsenal FC legend and went one further by accusing the manager, Louis van Gaal, of playing him out of position and thus harming his productivity.
“The interesting thing is that’s the instruction from Van Gaal, to stay wide,” said Carragher.
“Let’s not forget, he is a centre forward slash winger, so normally you would be expect him to make those runs inside. You see how many touches he has had? Not one touch in the box, and just the one cross. So he’s not even pulling wide and doing damage.
“And that all comes from the instruction of the manager, and why Man United never look like scoring in the game.”
The ‘Martial’ Law
The 20-year-old Frenchman was signed from AS Monaco for a reported 36 million Euros and started life in the Premier League with 4 goals in 4 games. But he’s been on a dry streak since then, breaking it only in last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Norwich City.
Perhaps Martial could be a more potent force in the number 9 position, but then he has to obey the laws laid down by the manager Louis van Gaal and it remains to be seen if the Dutchman heeds the calls from Henry and Carragher.