Manchester United sign £36m Anthony Martial from Monaco

Anthony Martial has been confirmed as a Manchester United player, signing from Monaco for £36m to make him, at 19, British football’s most expensive teenager.

Reports in France have put his final price as high as £58.8m, which is just below the British record £59.7m paid by United for Ángel di María. The purchase of Martial by Louis van Gaal, the manager, is some surprise given the size of the fee and his relative inexperience.

United would have preferred to move for Martial next summer. However Van Gaal needed to strengthen his forward line and he was also conscious that Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid were all interested in the player. Once Monaco were knocked out of the Champions League this cleared the way for the deal. While there is a recognition at the club that Martial may represent a gamble, Van Gaal believes he has the potential to be world class. The market has become super-inflated and so rather than spend £25m on an average footballer, the thinking at Old Trafford is that the £36m spend may be a far more productive investment should Martial develop as the manager hopes.

“I’m so excited to join United,” Martial said. “I’ve always wanted to play in the Premier League and look forward to meeting my team-mates.”

The forward has yet to play for the senior France side though he has represented his nation’s Under-21 team. He has only 11 career goals in French league football.

Martial becomes Van Gaal’s sixth major signing of the summer window. He joins Memphis Depay, Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Matteo Darmian and Sergio Romero.

“Anthony is a talented young forward with great potential. I believe this is the club for him to continue his development,” Van Gaal said.

Credits: TheGuardian