Manchester United have reportedly pushed back advancements from Serie A giants Juventus for the signing of Anthony Martial.
According to Daily Mirror, Juventus have identified Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial as a potential replacement for Alvaro Morata, who has returned to Atletico Madrid after two seasons on loan in Turin. Massimiliano Allegri has made the in-form French forward his top target, but convincing Manchester United could be a hard task.
The Red Devils looked set to part ways with Martial this summer with the attacker failing miserably in his six-month loan stay with Sevilla, where he just scored once in 12 games. Martial’s form prior to that with Manchester United was not too convincing either, and he publicly fell out with then-interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
However, the arrival of Erik ten Hag seems to have revived the Frenchman’s Manchester United career. Martial was among the first players to return to the club for pre-season and has impressed the Dutch tactician with his recent performances.
With Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still trying to force an exit from the club, yet to join the rest of the squad, Martial flourished while leading the Manchester United attack. He started all four of the Red Devils’ friendly matches on their pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia, scoring three goals.
Manchester United have reportedly told Martial that he will not be sold this summer and is set to feature in ten Hag’s plans for the upcoming season. Moreover, the possibility that Ronaldo could leave this summer is another reason why Manchester United are reluctant to let the forward leave.
The 26-year-old had fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford recently, following the arrivals of Edinson Cavani and Ronaldo. But with the Uruguayan leaving the club this summer and the latter seemingly on his way out, Manchester United have blocked any possible exit for the Frenchman.
Since joining Manchester United as a highly-rated teenager back in 2015, Martial has scored 79 goals and provided 56 assists in 269 matches for the club. Erik ten Hag will hope that his trust in the 26-year-old pays off. It will be interesting to see who Serie A giants Juventus turn towards to bolster their attack.
