In his comments on Anthony Martial, Michael Carrick strengthened the sense of what strange times these are at Manchester United.
Martial made an explosive debut after coming on as a substitute, a superb slaloming goal capping victory against United’s bitterest rivals, but Carrick admitted knowing little about the 19-year-old for whom United paid £36m on the final day of the transfer window.
Carrick said of the acquisition from Monaco: “I have to be totally honest, I didn’t know an awful lot – like many – but I do now. We haven’t really trained this week too much; by the time the lads have come back from internationals. We haven’t seen an awful lot of him. It’s a lot of money, of course it is. I suppose time will tell, won’t it?”
The French striker is the world’s most expensive teenager. With add-ons the fee could rise to £58m, thus making Martial British football’s second-highest transfer behind the £59.7m Ángel Di María cost United.
That is, indeed, a heck of a lot of money even in a super-inflated market. It should secure a high level of talent, especially for a club whose business is the serial pursuit of trophies, and Martial’s weaving, jinking goal four minutes from time may be the first down payment on his astronomical fee.
Yet two years after Sir Alex Ferguson retired – and following David Moyes’s ill-starred period in charge – the uncertainty at United continues. It caused the fiasco of David de Gea’s transfer to Real Madrid collapsing and the sanctioning of a “ridiculous” price – Louis van Gaal’s description – for a punt on Martial’s potential, as the manager continues to rebuild.
On the evidence of Martial’s 25 minutes against Liverpool, Van Gaal might actually have found a footballer who, in time, can symbolise United’s identity, just as Wayne Rooney currently does.
Carrick said: “To start like that you can’t really ask for more. It doesn’t get any better than that, does it? Coming in and coming on and scoring against Liverpool like that. He has done well to get in that position and I thought the finish was terrific, how he just slotted it home. He was so calm and composed and you can’t ask for a better start.
“He is off the mark now. He has announced himself. Everyone has seen it on the big stage. I am sure his confidence will be sky high. It’s a good way to settle him and if that has raised expectation then so be it but that is part of the game.”
Van Gaal had insisted Martial would be eased into the side but the hamstring injury that ruled out Rooney and is likely to keep the captain out of Tuesday’s Champions League match against PSV Eindhoven meant Martial was given an early opportunity.
Martial entered with United leading 1-0 from Daley Blind’s opener. An Ander Herrera penalty and Christian Benteke’s breathtaking overhead volley took the score to 2-1. Then came Martial’s moment.
Taking the ball on the left he twisted Liverpool’s defence before beating Simon Mignolet with the kind of direct dribble and finish last seen by a player in United livery when Cristiano Ronaldo was at the club.
So is Martial the real deal? Has Van Gaal been brave and made a prescient signing? A 25-minute cameo is too little to build a credible verdict on, of course. As with Van Gaal and his United team and how they might fare, the jury remains out. Now, the real work of offering consistently high performances begins.
Van Gaal said: “That is why I am saying all of these things – that he is 19 years old, that he had to adapt, that we have bought him for the future, that he is for my successor. These are all signals from me that we have to protect him. You cannot expect from players of 19, 20 or 21 the same consistency of a Schweinsteiger or Carrick. I hope by my declarations it shall be that expectation dampens.”
Reminded that he called the fee ridiculous, Van Gaal said: “We have bought him because of his talent but you have to show your talent at the right time on the pitch and Martial has done that in his first match. We will have to wait and see if he can be consistent and do it every game. You have an average from strikers of around 50 or 60% [goal rate] every match. His average at Monaco was lower because his finishing was not so good but today it was 100%.”
In Rooney’s absence Marouane Fellaini started at centre-forward and when Martial came on it was for Juan Mata rather than the Belgian. Van Gaal praised Fellaini and so the latter may well keep his place at PSV for the opening Champions League group match.
Martial, though, has given Van Gaal a welcome dilemma regarding whether to name him in Tuesday’s XI. “You will have to wait and see how the players recover,” the manager said. “That is the most important thing because it was an important match – for everybody, also with the pressure, for the result against Liverpool – so they need three days to recover. Then I shall decide.”
The 64-year-old has won each of his three games managing United against their firm rivals. This latest victory takes the club to 10 points, five behind the leaders, Manchester City.
Brendan Rodgers’s Liverpool, though, were devoid of ideas throughout. On this evidence they – and the manager – have the more serious problems.
Man of the match Daley Blind (Manchester United)
