The Red Devils have been linked with a swoop for another attacker before next month’s deadline.
The summer transfer window slams shut at the start of next month and it remains to be seen whether or not Anthony Martial will still be a Manchester United player when it does.
What’s the latest Anthony Martial transfer news?
It was recently reported by The Mirror that the club plan to hold talks with the French attacker to make a decision on his future at Old Trafford.
The report claimed that Italian giants Inter, who reached the Champions League final last season, and fellow Premier League side West Ham United are both interested in a deal for the former AS Monaco sensation.
United boss Erik ten Hag could finally decide to sanction an exit for the 27-year-old forward, who has been at the club since 2015, by securing a deal for another versatile attacker to take his place within the squad.
Who could replace Anthony Martial at Manchester United?
The Dutch head coach could ditch the France international by signing reported transfer target Ansu Fati from Spanish giants Barcelona, who have reportedly valued him at €70m (£60m).
Martial, who has been capped 30 times by his country, can play in several positions across the frontline and has spent the majority of his career as either a striker or a left winger.
The Spain international would be able to offer a similar level of versatility as he has been deployed in those two positions the most in his short career to date, whilst the young talent also has experience playing on the right.
Fati could also be an upgrade in terms of the quality that he is able to produce at the top end of the pitch. The 20-year-old ace scored seven goals and provided four assists in 12 LaLiga starts for Barcelona last season, which came after four goals in three league starts during the 2021/22 campaign.
Martial, meanwhile, produced six goals and two assists in 11 Premier League starts last term and one goal in two starts throughout the previous season.
Fati ranks within the top 1% of his positional peers among Europe’s top five divisions for non-penalty expected goals (xG) per 90 (0.56) over the last 365 days, which essentially means that he excels at getting himself into high-quality scoring positions on a regular basis.
Whereas, the United striker ranks in the top 12% with 0.45 non-penalty xG per 90. This suggests that the Spaniard could provide a greater attacking threat with his ability to be in the right place at the right time to earn excellent chances in front of goal.
The £231k-per-week whiz would also come in with more long-term potential than Martial as he is seven years younger than the Red Devils outcast.
This means that Fati has plenty of years left ahead of him to hone his skills and develop his game to become an even better player, whilst already having the ability – given his form for Barcelona – to offer more than the current United dynamo this season.
Therefore, Ten Hag could safely sanction an exit for Martial this summer by signing the “generational” – as dubbed by his boss Xavi – magician from the Spanish side as he would have a sublime replacement, in the short and long-term, at the club.
