Anthony Martial Is About To Cost Man United Another £8 million, Here’s Why
Dec 3, 2016 at 11:37 AM
Anthony Martial has endured a tough run of form this season under new Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho.
The Frenchman has fallen down the pecking order in recent times with his manager explaining that the striker is taking a little longer than some other players to adapt to his style of play.
Martial did impress on Wednesday night, though, in scoring twice against West Ham in the EFL Cup. However, as reported by The Sun, a good run of form for the 20-year-old in the next few weeks could see United having to shell out more than £8 million before Christmas.
Martial joined the Red Devils in 2015 in a deal worth an initial £36 million. United fans will remember, however, that there were plenty of clauses included in the deal with AS Monaco that would be triggered based on how well the young forward performed at Old Trafford.
Well, after netting his 20th and 21st goals for United against the Hammers on Wednesday, Martial is now just four goals away from one such clause.
According to The Sun, the Premier League club will have to part with no less than £8.4 million pounds whenever Martial reaches a quarter century of goals – taking the total value of his transfer to over £40 million.
With three of his four goals so far this season having been scored in either the EFL Cup or Europa League, United may be slightly regretting not restricting the 25 goals clause to Premier League strikes.
On the other hand, if the Red Devils do have to pay out the nearly eight-figure sum in the near future it can’t exactly be a bad thing when it comes to the Frenchman’s performance level.
Indeed, after a sluggish start to the campaign in which he has been questioned by both his club and international managers, the United hierarchy would probably welcome the clause being triggered because it means their huge investment last year is returning to form.
However, with the eventual total of the Martial deal reportedly potentially worth around £61 million, there are likely to be several more expensive cheques signed over to Martial’s former employers at some point down the line.
For instance, As Monaco are guaranteed another £8.4 million if and when Martial wins his 25th cap for France. Already on 15, that milestone won’t be too far away.
And then there is the financial implications – a figure for which isn’t known – should the Frenchman ever receive a nomination for the Ballon d’Or.
Whilst the payments will have an impact on United’s overall earnings, Mr. Mourinho will be more than happy to see each and every clause triggered sooner rather than later as it’d mean he was getting the best out of Martial on the pitch.