Is Mourinho making same mistake again at United with selling Martial as he did with selling Lukaku, Salah, De Bruyene at Chelsea?[spacer height=”30px”]

Spending heavily on teenagers is a trend popularized by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. From Cristiano Ronaldo to David De Gea, you name them and they went on to become the superstars in world football. Yet, sometimes when it failed, it failed miserably, Fedrico Macheda and Bébé are some of the examples of promising youngsters whom SAF signed, but they failed to live up to the expectations. [spacer height=”30px”]

In 2016 summer window United decided to splash £36m which was actually an astronomical fee for an unknown 19-year-old prodigy Anthony Martial. United fans balked when they learned that the fee could rise to a potential £58m, and rival fans were having a field day.[spacer height=”30px”]

https://twitter.com/UnitedStandMUFC/status/1023184972176343040

[spacer height=”30px”]But with a astonishing solo debut goal against arch rivals Liverpool, Martial was an instant hit among the fans as he regularly started to score and create chances for the team. Van Gaal’s tenure at Old Trafford still has a bitter aftertaste for most United fans, in spite of the fact that he broke their trophy drought with the FA Cup in 2016. Martial, though, was one of his best signings at the club, and the Frenchman’s inability to nail down a starting spot under Mourinho has been baffling.[spacer height=”30px”]

The signing of Alexis Sanchez in last winter has pushed him further back in the pecking order at United. Rumors about his departure were inevitable after another season was spent playing second fiddle. Mourinho insisted to play Sanchez in the wider role in which Martial excelled and United winning the first two matches 4-0 against West Ham and Swansea, with Martial playing a starring role in both. [spacer height=”30px”]

The downward spiral that followed was only too familiar to fans who have become accustomed to failures in recent seasons. The need for a traditional right winger was apparent, and yet Mourinho chose to bring in Sanchez, a player who had evolved into one of the most devastating left-wingers at Arsenal, in spite of having two perfectly viable options there in Martial and Rashford. [spacer height=”30px”]

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]

“He needs to be patient, wait for his chance to play because he’s an unbelievable footballer.”[spacer height=”20px”]

“I hope Jose Mourinho gives him more playing time because he’s one of the best young players in Europe.”[spacer height=”20px”]

– Dimitar Berbatov on Martial[/perfectpullquote]

[spacer height=”30px”]Sanchez move eventually cost the 22 years old Frenchman a place in the national team for the 2018 World Cup, which will now be even more painful after his Country’s triumph in Russia. Rumors of a move to Bayern or Chelsea have been annoyingly persistent, but fans have held out hope so far in the belief that United are traditionally not a selling club.[spacer height=”30px”]

Martial’s sudden departure from the club’s pre-season training camp in the US, right before the match against AC Milan, has raised some eyebrows (despite the perfectly legitimate reason of his child’s birth). With Mourinho’s own negativity seeping into squad members, inadequate transfer activity, and some question marks over the future of one of their best players, the mood in the United camp could not possibly be worse ahead of their opening week game against Leicester.[spacer height=”30px”]

Portuguese has made such mistakes before, which will be the biggest point of concern for fans. De Bruyene, Salah, and Lukaku were prematurely sold at Chelsea, and they are now three of the best talents in the Premier League.[spacer height=”30px”]

The fact that Chelsea wants Martial to replace Hazard, and Bayern to replace Ribery and Robben, is proof of his extraordinary potential. Its sometimes easy to forget that he’s only 22, which is all the more reason for Mourinho to keep a hold of him.[spacer height=”30px”]

While Jose personally might not be feeling the implications now, Chelsea most certainly are. Blues are still in the market for a world class striker and on brink of loosing Hazard, which means they need a winger, and Fabregas, their chief midfield creator, turned 31 recently.[spacer height=”30px”]

Unless United’s high brass fight tooth and nail to keep Martial at the club, they will be facing the same situation down the road. With Sanchez also turning 30, it will be in Mourinho’s best interests to reject Chelsea and Bayern, even if it means less regular playing time for Martial himself.[spacer height=”30px”]

Follow Arsedevils for latest transfer news and football updates.[spacer height=”50px”]