We’ve known, for quite some time, Anthony Martial was going to leave Manchester United this summer. His contract expires at the end of the season and MUFC never had any intention of renewing it. Earlier this month, at the final home match, both Martial and his fellow Frenchman, central defender Raphael Varane, said they were leaving United once their contracts were up.
Martial, who hasn’t featured since December 9 in the loss to Bournemouth due to injury, was fit for the FA Cup Final but left out of the squad.
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“It’s with great emotion that I write to you today to say goodbye. After nine incredible years at the club, the time has come for me to turn a new page in my career,” he said on Instagram.
“Since I arrived in 2015, I have had the immense honour of wearing this shirt and playing in front of you, the best supporters in the world! You have been an unwavering support, through the good times and the difficult. Your passion and loyalty have been a constant source of motivation for me.
“I’d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you’ve done for me. Your songs, your encouragement and your love for the club are memories that will remain engraved in my heart forever.”
The full message is much longer, and you can read that in the Instagram post below:
View this post on Instagram
Arriving from AS Monaco on deadline day of the 2015 summer transfer window, Anthony Martial was then an unknown who cost about 37m GBP. He had some stellar moments, winning the club’s player of the year award in 2019-20.
However, he never developed into the next Thierry Henry, a man who many compared him to. He had scored some goals for United, over his nine-year-stay, but he was just very injury prone. Anthony Martial was Luke Shaw level injury prone these fast few years.
United tried to offload him, here and there, these past couple years but they just couldn’t find anyone to take him on a permanent (instead of loan basis).
That’a because as the injuries piled up, the form dropped. It is what it is. Vaya con dios.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.