John Robinson, the NFL Hall of Fame coach, once remarked that he would ‘never criticize a player until they are first convinced of my unconditional confidence in their abilities.’ Self-belief is undoubtedly the strongest form of motivation a sports star can harness, but leaning on the faith of their manager probably comes second. Genuine trust is a two-way street. And it’s this principle that Erik Ten Hag has sought to apply to his enigmatic number nine – Anthony Martial.

A mixed bag would be the most accurate assessment of Martial’s United career so far. A promising start devolved into stagnant frustration as managerial changes precipitated positional changes, and shirt changes precipitated confidence changes. Martial began his time at Old Trafford as a young centre-forward under Van Gaal, scoring two on the occasion of his first start against Southampton. He finished the season with 18 goals and 11 assists in all competitions. An ‘excellent’ debut campaign according to his manager, who sought to demonstrate publicly the trust he had in Martial.

This trust would quickly be severed however, with Van Gaal sacked and replaced by José Mourinho, a manager with a dogmatic preference for his style of forward; a style seemingly at odds with the almost lackadaisical intensity Martial plays with. This incompatibility was exacerbated further by the signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic who was entrusted with both the centre-forward position and the coveted number nine shirt. Martial’s number became Zlatan’s, without the Frenchman’s permission. It’s a move that would alienate most players and provided a terrible opener to the Martial and Mourinho relationship. It was compounded further by the fact that Martial and his team had been working on a social media campaign centred around the number 9 shirt – AM9. Phillipe Lamboley, Martial’s advisor, confirmed the negativity felt, stating it, ‘hurt [Martial] when Manchester United took the No.9 jersey…he was surprised by it and he was disappointed for a few days.’ Lamboley went as far as describing the decision as ‘disrespectful.’

The dynamic between Mourinho and Martial would remain fractured at best, with Martial exclusively consigned to the left-wing. Despite this, he still produced a reasonable return – 8 goals and 8 assists. The summer of 2017 then brought a fresh centre-forward to the club in the form of Romelu Lukaku, given the no.9 shirt as Ibrahimovic suffered a long-term knee injury. Martial’s form improved however, with Mourinho stating he could see the forward was ‘working extremely well.’ 11 goals and 8 assists in the first half of the 2017/18 season confirmed this perception. Martial had appeared to regain the mutual trust with his manager, lost in the first summer of Mourinho’s tenure.

Then in January 2018 United completed a hugely expensive deal for Alexis Sanchez, a move driven as much by commercialism as it was football. To say Sanchez never settled in Manchester would be an understatement, as the Chilean’s form following his transfer (and the wages involved) ensured it was one of the worst buys in Premier League history. Financially it was terrible for United; personnel wise it was equally poor as it once again alienated one of their strongest performers that season, Martial. The young Frenchman had now had his number snatched from him, his position on the pitch altered, and the new place within the team he’d won back again taken in favour of a big-money signing. Martial would only provide one assist in the entire second half of the season.

Mourinho’s time at the club would, thankfully, end in predictably explosive fashion later that year. Ole Gunnar Solskjær was initially appointed as interim manager to help heal the toxicity that had grown prevalent under Mourinho, before being given the role permanently in March 2019. Solskjær offered a much softer touch than his predecessor and quickly made it apparent that Martial was a key part of his new-look United team. In the summer of 2019 he described how Martial, ‘can be a world-class forward…I think he has always got the quality and talent.’ Solskjær offered a prediction that the Frenchman ‘would be even better than last season.’ This faith was coupled with a reunion with the number nine shirt, as Lukaku was relocated to Inter Milan. Martial was back as the starting centre-forward, with the number to match, with a manager publicly declaring their belief in him. The result of this faith? 23 goals and 12 assists and the Manchester United’s Player’s Player of the Year award.

The year that follows this, however, saw the inconsistent side of Martial return. The 2020/21 season was a poor one for him but recent interviews have provided some context to it. Martial claims for the first four months he was playing through injury, to such an extent that he ‘couldn’t accelerate.’ The forward accused his manager of ‘treachery’ given Solskjær ‘never bothered to tell the media.’ Injuries have been a constant impediment throughout Martial’s career but they offer a more reasonable explanation for his complete loss of form, following his best ever individual year, than the accusations of ‘moodiness’ or ‘laziness’ often thrown at him. Martial’s words also offer an insight into the breakdown of trust, between himself and his manager, that would have accompanied these injury problems. Sometimes an athlete, particularly one as seemingly sensitive as Martial, needs their manager to have the strength to take them out of the limelight when performances are suffering.

Solskjær’s time at the club would come to an end the following season in borderline cataclysmic fashion, with a heavy defeat against Watford the final nail in the coffin. Ralf Rangnick was appointed as the interim replacement in November 2021 yet seemed so dismayed by the composition, and attitude, of his squad that he gave up on the season long before it ended. Martial was a non-entity during this time, getting into a public dispute over an injury with Rangnick, and eventually ending up on loan to Sevilla. Following his debut for the Spanish side, the Sevilla manager publicly criticised Martial, stating ‘Anthony has to give us much more.’ The loan move was a predictably poor one following this.

The final chapter in the book of Martial’s career at Old Trafford appeared to have been written. High wages seemed the only obstacle to the club trying to move him on, with little enthusiasm amongst United officials to see him return from Spain. Until Erik Ten Hag that is.

The newly appointed manager’s first point of action was to privately inform every member of the squad that they had a ‘clean slate’ under him. The horrors of the previous season would be forgotten, and everyone would start afresh under the Dutchman with a base level of faith in their ability. Martial was perhaps the biggest beneficiary of this. Three goals in three games during preseason ensured Ten Hag ‘ruled out’ selling the forward given the Dutchman and his coaching staff were, ‘impressed with the way he’s taken on information, such as when to press and the direction of his runs.’ Mutual faith once again appeared to be extracting the best out of Martial.

A combination of injuries have curtailed this positive momentum however. A hamstring problem ruled Martial out of the start of the season, before an Achilles injury cut short his brief return. Nine games have been missed as a result. Ten Hag publicly admitted Martial’s absence was a ‘big disappointment for the team and for me’ given ‘we have already seen his importance in pre-season.’ Speaking before the Everton game, the Dutchman revealed how ‘happy’ he is that his number nine had returned but that, ‘We will take it careful[ly], step by step, in a process to bring him back.’ Unfortunately, fate intervened once again at Goodison Park as Martial picked up an injury during the warm up. He persevered to start the game, playing very well in the opening half an hour, providing an assist for the equaliser and showing a well-roundedness that neither Rashford nor Ronaldo have been able to offer this season in his stead. At the 28^th minute mark, Martial was withdrawn, in spite of the performance he was delivering. Ten Hag described Martial’s contributions as ‘important’ after the game but revealed he had picked up a new injury. It will, despite the negativity of another physical setback, be pleasing for Martial to hear. Ten Hag is publicly displaying his belief in him, yet appears very conscientious in trying to manage his injuries. Compared to Martial’s experiences under Solskjær this will be an approach much more likely to build trust, rather than erode it.

Martial has been fit for 133 minutes of football this season. In that timeframe he has scored three and assisted two, averaging a goal contribution every 27 minutes – a rate of productivity that makes Haaland look tame. Injuries and a lack of trust have undoubtedly been the source of Martial’s struggles in his time at Old Trafford. Ten Hag appears to have built a solid foundation for the latter, and is dutiful in his management of the first. If Martial can develop consistent fitness, the Dutch manager will have found his perfect number nine. And, importantly, the French forward will have found his perfect manger.  A relationship built on trust. 

Darragh Fox