Anthony Martial: 'English football needs Man Utd striker to succeed'

I would love to be analysing a dream debut for Anthony Martial when I come to discuss Manchester United versus Liverpool on Match of the Day on Saturday.

It is the biggest game in English football and a massive occasion for his first United appearance - if he features at Old Trafford.
But the very fact I am wondering whether Martial will start, or even play at all, says a lot about the £36m transfer and suggests that United have paid such a massive initial fee for his potential, rather than anything he has done in his career so far.

Man Utd's mystery teenager

Martial made his senior France debut last week as a substitute in their friendly win against Portgual

Martial is 19, and before the start of this season had only completed four first-team games for Monaco. He has played a total of 30 minutes of senior international football for France, all in the past week.
Like myself, not many United fans will have seen much of him in action but, starting this weekend, he is going to be under major scrutiny because of how much he has cost, his record up to this point and the fact a club of their size has signed him. The pressure will be immense.
So I hope that he proves to be the absolute gem of a player that United think they have bought, for his own sake and for the sake of English football too.

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Martial is a great talent - Saha

Otherwise, United spending so much on a teenager who has scored only 11 goals in 52 matches in Ligue 1 will just be used to show how the money in our game has gone completely crazy.
At the moment, that is what most people seem to be thinking. His fee could rise to £58m and every single former player I have spoken to has been amazed by how much he has cost considering how little football he has played.
On paper, what he has done is not that impressive either. If Martial had scored 25-30 goals I would be thinking 'that's only in Ligue 1' and he has not even got close to that.
His goalscoring record does not say to me that he is going to be the new Sergio Aguero, but I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
I am not on my own in not knowing what to expect from him, let alone where he will play, but being a bit of an unknown quantity will help him against Liverpool.

Anthony Martial's senior career since his Monaco debut in November 2013
Competition	League	French Cups	Europe	France
Games	52	10	12	2
Minutes played	2,641	364	759	30
Full games (90 mins)	4	1	2	0
Goals	11	3	1	0
Shooting accuracy	53%	N/A	71%	0%
Shot conversion	20%	N/A	14%	0%
Assists	5	N/A	2	0

The best scenario - he starts as well as I did

Martial took 71 minutes to score his first Monaco goal, which came in his second game and his first start

So far, Martial has said all the right things in interviews and, considering he has joined one of the biggest clubs in the world, he seems to be dealing with everything pretty well.
It is on the pitch where he will be judged, though, and it could be that this weekend he goes 'bang' - with a performance that shouts "here I am, and this is what I can do".
That could happen, especially in a team like United's. They will create chances and, if Martial has got the strength and pace I keep hearing about, then he could have a big impact very quickly.
I hope he does, because it would be great for the Premier League to have a new star.
The best scenario, especially for a forward player, is obviously that he hits the ground running at his new club by scoring some goals straightaway.
There was pressure on me when I joined Arsenal for what was then a club record fee of £2.5m in September 1991 but I scored in my first game, got a hat-trick in my second and never looked back.

Wright took 45 minutes to score his first goal for Arsenal, on his debut against Leicester

Any pressure disappeared and, instead, I was full of confidence.
The way I looked at it then was that I could go four games without scoring and my average would still be good but the way I was feeling, I knew more goals would come - and they did.

Henry comparisons are inevitable

Not every player gets off to a flying start like I did at Arsenal. Also for the Gunners, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp both had to wait a while to get off the mark.
I have heard Martial being compared to Henry a lot because of his playing style and the way he can come off the left or right wing as well as down the middle.
That is great if it is true and, if he is not an out-and-out striker, he will need to be able to make goals for others like Henry could.

Henry took 473 minutes to score his first goal for Arsenal, against Southampton in 1999

Yes, those comparisons add even more pressure but they are inevitable because both players left Monaco at a young age and came to England for big money - Henry had a brief spell at Juventus in between, but his £10.5m fee was the third-biggest in English football when he came to Highbury in 1999.
Henry, who was a couple of years older than Martial and a lot more experienced at first-team level, scored 26 goals in his first season for Arsenal, but did not find the net until his ninth game for the club.
There is an argument that Henry's early days are an example of why Martial will need time before showing us what he can do.
That is true, but I still saw Henry's ability in those first few games. I had left Arsenal by then but on his left foot or right foot, he had skill and athleticism and was such a dynamic player.
He was not scoring goals but I remember looking at him and thinking 'wow - when he kicks in, he is going to be awesome'.
In Memphis Depay, United already have one young player who makes me think the same whenever I watch him.

Depay, 21, joined United from PSV Eindhoven for £31m in June

You can see Memphis is not quite firing on all cylinders at the moment but there is still something really explosive building up in him, and you can tell he is going to do something special soon.
What I saw from Thierry and what we are seeing now from Memphis is what I want from Martial on Saturday. It would be even better if he can nick a goal or two as well.

Rooney record is big boost for United

One thing that Martial can rely on at his new club is that his team-mates will look after him and help him as much as they can, especially because of his age, his price tag and the fact he has moved to a different country.
Even a player of Bergkamp's experience needed that while he settled in. He went six games without scoring after joining Arsenal for a British record fee of £7.5m in 1995, but we were unbeaten during that time and I scored four goals, which took a lot of the pressure off him.

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I'm a proud man tonight - Rooney

You can be sure that Wayne Rooney will look to do the same for Martial and I think it is brilliant news for United that he has just broken Sir Bobby Charlton's record as England's top goalscorer.
Rooney has had a difficult start to the Premier League season but his international goals in the past week will have lifted a weight off his shoulders and, whether Martial plays or not, I think Liverpool could feel the backlash of that at the weekend.

Overseas football fans visiting Britain now at 800,000

The number of overseas fans visiting Britain to watch top-flight football rose to 800,000 in 2014 and brought in £684m, according to research.

Most fans came from the Republic of Ireland (121,000), with Norway (93,000), Sweden (58,000) and the United States (53,000) next.
Old Trafford and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium were the most popular venues, both receiving 109,000 visits each.
Premier League chief Richard Scudamore said the rise was very encouraging.

  

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Supporters' Chair: 'Concerns over tourist ticket distribution'

However, football supporters groups said the figures, released by tourism body Visit Britain, underlined concerns they have about the make-up of fans in stadiums, ticket prices and club identity.
The last time Visit Britain - which has a partnership with the Premier League to encourage visitors to come to Britain and see a live match - published figures was in 2010, when 50,000 fewer fans attended games.
The Norwegian branch of the Liverpool Supporters' Club estimates that for big games, up to 1,500 Norwegians descend on Anfield.
The Premier League is already a huge global brand with an estimated 1.2bn fans worldwide and overseas TV rights expected to exceed the £2bn which was paid for the last deal running from the 2016-17 season.
The research shows that fans want to experience that excitement in person, which in turn is boosting the British economy.

Republic of Ireland accounted for 121,000 of 800,000 fans visiting Britain to watch top-flight football

Boosting Britain's economy

Visit Britain says it is targeting key markets across the globe through its 'Football is Great' campaign, which includes a video from Manchester United assistant manager Ryan Giggs on the ease of travelling around the country.
And from a financial point of view, it appears to be paying off.
The 800,000 overseas fans who watched football in Britain last year spent £684m collectively, up £89m since 2010. On average they were likely to spend £855 per visit, considerably higher than those who chose not to watch football at £628.
Football also appears to be a good way of encouraging visitors to Britain in winter months while the football season continues, with 31% of visitors from January to March taking in matches, compared with 19% in July to September.
Almost three quarters (73%) of visitors who gave their primary journey purpose as watching sport said they had attended a football match.
Manchester taxi drivers will tell you how much busier they are on match days when Manchester United are at home, and it is clear that football is a big attraction to the area.
Ten percent of visitors to the North West of England, which is also the home of Manchester City and Liverpool, head to the region to watch football, compared to 5.6% in the north-east and just 1.3 in the south-east.
Tourism minister Tracey Crouch said: "It's fantastic to see the positive role football is playing in showcasing key destinations in many different regions of the UK."

Fans merchandise is often geared towards overseas tourism

What is the appeal?

Tore Hansen is the chief executive of the official Norway branch of the Liverpool Supporters' Club and has been travelling to Anfield for the past 30 years.
He says the love affair started in the 1960s when many Norwegians adopted English teams as a result of games being screened on TV. He also believes the numerous flight routes to Britain have made it easier for fans to travel.
"It's been building for many years," he told BBC Sport. "One of the reasons was because the standard of football in Norway wasn't that great. British football has always been popular in Norway and it's also a nice country to visit."
So popular in fact, that the clamour for tickets has increased at Anfield, a stadium which holds 45,500 fans and is dwarfed by the 60,000 capacity at Emirates Stadium and 75,700 at Old Trafford.
Hansen, 48, says that some Norwegian fans end up buying from season ticket holders, with some choosing to sell their seats every week. He also says there are many examples of fans paying for tickets on the internet, never to see them in person.
"The demand is massive and it's a shame it's gone that way, especially for local people in Liverpool," he added.
The Premier League says that stadiums were at 96% capacity last season.

Liverpool is expanding its stadium to 59,000 seats for the start of the 2016-17 season

Keeping a club's heritage

Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) vice-chairman Sean Bones says there needs to be equilibrium between welcoming overseas fans and maintaining the club's heritage.
Asked whether a local or overseas supporter was considered more important by clubs, he said: "Manchester United has been built by generations of local support and we deserve that recognition. It's a question of balance, the fact we are so attractive to tourists is because of our history."
Bones also has concerns about the demand for tickets increasing prices. A BBC study found that the average price of cheapest tickets in England has increased by 13% since 2011, with the Football Supporters' Federation calling for clubs to reduce their cost.
Bones told BBC Sport: "It's good for the country when additional funds come into the economy but we need clubs to reward the long-term loyalty of our supporters."
As for whether overseas fans contribute to subdued atmospheres at Old Trafford, Bones says: "That's probably more to do with all-seater stadiums."

Most visited stadiums in Britain by overseas fans
Old Trafford (Manchester United): 109,000
Emirates Stadium (Arsenal): 109,000
Anfield (Liverpool): 99,000
Stamford Bridge (Chelsea): 89,000
Wembley (England): 51,000
White Hart Lane (Tottenham): 40,000
Etihad Stadium (Manchester City): 33,000
Craven Cottage (Fulham): 30,000

Will numbers of overseas fans increase?

The top-10 largest markets for overseas visitors to British football are limited to European countries, the US and Australia.
But Visit Britain believes that the growth of the Premier League's appeal in Asia means the established order may not remain for long.
"The London 2012 Olympics put Britain on the map as the home of sport, and obviously football is a global draw," says Patricia Yates from Visit Britain.
"It's interesting to see the strong appeal it has in new-growth markets like China, Hong Kong and Indonesia where those new out-bound travellers tend to be younger and affluent. They have the same loyalty to their clubs as British fans and they want to come and see them play in the stadium."

£1,300 to watch your team play?
Read about one South African fan's journey to watch his beloved Manchester United play at Old Trafford.

Like Bones, Yates believes there needs to be a balance between local and overseas supporters but argues that foreign fans "add to the flavour of the match".
As for overseas football visitors reaching the 1m mark, do not expect Visit Britain to halt its use of the Premier League as key marketing tool.
"In 2014, we saw 35m people come to Britain where they spent £22bn, and we plan to grow that to 40m by 2020," Yates added. "So we have ambitious targets and we will continue to use football as a major draw to this country."
As Hansen says, the Anfield Stadium expansion has come at just the right time.

Revealed: Barcelona star Neymar could join Manchester United next summer

MANCHESTER UNITED could get their hands on Barcelona hitman Neymar in a year's time.

The Red Devils are keen on signing the 23-year-old and their transfer guru Ed Woodward discussed a stunning £137.8m transfer with the La Liga champions during his recent trip to Catalonia.

However, they had their approach for the rejected by the Catalans - who are preparing to offer the former Santos star a new contract.

But according to South American football expert Tim Vickery, the Premier League giants could land the Samba star in one or two year's time.
“Clearly it’s not going to happen now for a number of reasons,” said Vickery.

Digsby

“Firstly, Barcelona have just sold Pedro. Secondly, they can’t buy anyone because they’ve still got this suspension hanging over them. But you just wonder if United are playing the long-term game here.

“At the moment Neymar is very happy where he is but he’s in the shadow of Lionel Messi. That’s fine for now but if it’s still the case in one or two years’ time, he might want to go somewhere where he’s going to be the big number one.
“England is obviously a potential in a year or two years’ time. That’s the game I think United are playing - establishing an interest, making it clear that they really want this player and are prepared to play big money.”

Manchester United’s Ander Herrera makes most of first start to shine against Club Brugge

The Spaniard put his creative talents to good use to help Wayne Rooney end his goal drought in the 4-0 win in Belgium

Ander Herrera scores Manchester United’s fourth goal against Club Brugge. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters                                                                                                              Mission accomplished for Louis Van Gaal, and with style to boot. Manchester United are back where they feel they belong and they got there by playing with the adventure their fans crave.For sure Club Brugge were too puny an opposition for anyone to trumpet this as a major milestone in a triumphant European and domestic campaign, but this was undeniably encouraging even if it did not resolve all Van Gaal’s doubts.United reached the Champions League group stages and secured only their second away win in eight European ties; Wayne Rooney hit a cathartic hat-trick and Ander Herrera prospered in a lineup that was less cautious than Van Gaal had led some fans to expect.

Manchester United cruise past Club Brugge with Rooney hat-trick

The main criticism of Van Gaal following a start to the season in which results have been mostly positive is that he has ranked control too far above creativity, introducing a realpolitik at odds with the romantic heritage that United fans talk up. In that context, the manager’s team sheet for a match he dare not lose verged on the cavalier.

His decision to give Herrera his first start of the season – alongside Michael Carrick rather than Morgan Schneiderlin or Bastian Schweinsteiger – risked leaving the centre of United’s defence exposed. Schneiderlin’s protection of that defence has been integral to United’s solidity this season – just as his absence from Southampton is a key factor in that club’s defensive problems this term.
Of course this was a prime opportunity to rest the Frenchman, with United luxuriating in a two-goal first-leg lead and facing a team shorn of several regular starters and seemingly unconvinced about their own ability to mount a comeback, but even still, there was scope for Van Gaal to suffer a recurrence of that “twitchy ass” syndrome that he memorably decried in January. That was back when he was persisting with a 3-5-2 formation in spite of United fans’ pleas to deploy a 4-4-2 but the point was the same: this lineup seemed to leave relatively thin cover for United’s defence.
Van Gaal may have squirmed in his seat in the 13th minute when Herrera was booked after being sidestepped by Victor Vázquez just in front of United’s back four. Abdoulay Diaby had already, in the sixth minute, found space to thrive in a similar area before laying the ball off to the overlapping Laurens De Bock, whose cross could have plunged United into deep bother if Tom De Sutter had not botched a shot from eight yards. That move also highlighted the ongoing peculiarity of Van Gaal’s use of Juan Mata.

Wayne Rooney says after hat-trick he ‘wasn’t worried’ by barren spell

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The positioning of Mata on the right seems a discrepancy in the Dutchman’s scheme. It neither caters to Van Gaal’s yearning for control – since the Spaniard lacks the pace to backtrack usefully – nor does it play to Mata’s main strength, which is why he frequently wanders in-field in an effort to exert more influence. Mind you, Adnan Januzaj does not retreat to great effect either and has been inventive in the spot that Mata would prefer to occupy, a point he reinforced after just four minutes in Brugge when he played a cute through-ball towards the rampaging Luke Shaw.

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Scoring after 20 minutes was the perfect antidote to any United jitters. Herrera’s instinct to pick forward passes quickly was important, though there was hardly anything exceptionally visionary about his ball to Memphis Depay, who made the most sparkling contribution, dashing forward and slipping a pass to Wayne Rooney, who ended his scoreless streak with impressive nonchalance.
That goal all but settled the tie but Van Gaal probably still did not sit comfortably. Brugge were still making too much mischief between United’s midfield and defence, with Vázquez and Diaby continually escaping the attentions of Herrera and Carrick and Mata still liable to leave Matteo Darmian to fend by himself.
A depleted Brugge were just about the most favourable play-off draw that United could have been given and a better team than the Belgian side might have punished Van Gaal’s side before half-time. Instead De Sutter missed another pass from Diaby and then, in the 44th minute, Diaby neglected to shoot when sent clear on goal.
Van Gaal paid heed to the warnings. At half-time Van Gaal replaced Januzaj with Schweinsteiger and strung a three-man barrier across midfield. Leaving on Herrera despite the yellow card could have been construed as dicey, but the 26-year-old could do with the game time and he had demonstrated before the break the creative shifts that he can trigger, twisting past Claudemir on half-way before scampering forward 30 yards and being hauled back at the edge of the box, an offence that earned his counterpart a booking too.
Within four minutes of the resumption United had relocated to Easy Street. Shaw won possession deep in opposing territory and fizzed a pass to Depay, who helped it on to the liberated Herrera, who unselfishly spoonfed Rooney. The England striker then had a hat-trick, converting after more sterling service, this time from Mata, who had snuck in-field. There was still plenty of time for Herrera to offer further proof of the goal threat he poses, as he collected Schweinsteiger’s superb deep pass before finishing expertly.

Football transfer rumours: Barcelona to win race for Andriy Yarmolenko?

 Dynamo Kyiv’s Andriy Yarmolenko, left. For now, at least. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Reuters

Scott Murray

Wednesday 26 August 2015 08.55 BSTLast modified on Wednesday 26 August 201508.57 BST

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So there’s poor Ronny Deila, sitting atop of a pile of rubble, staring at an unspecified point in the middle distance. Again. Celtic had been hopeful of holding on to Virgil van Dijk, but that was before Deila suffered the second Artmediaing of his short career with the Scottish champions at the hands of Malmo. Southampton have long been favourites to make off with the defender, but Everton suddenly have a John Stones-shaped hole to fill, and now they’re getting involved too. Expect a struggle to develop. A big cartoon cloud with fists and boots poking out of it. As if our simple rubble metaphor wasn’t making the place dusty enough.

Everton, with £40m of Chelsea’s money burning a hole in their pocket, are also interested in Tottenham’s Federico Fazio. It won’t be long before Roberto Martínez has built an entire defence all by himself. The David Moyes era suddenly looks like a speck in the rear-view mirror, doesn’t it. Take deep breaths, the separation anxiety will pass.

Chelsea ready to make £40m offer for Everton’s centre-back John Stones

 

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However much is resting on the Stones transfer. If the big lad’s move to Stamford Bridge somehow doesn’t happen, Chelsea have a contingency plan. They’ll go for Ezequiel Garay of Zenit St Petersburg instead, in which case you can forget about the first two paragraphs of this article. You’ve already put them out of your mind anyway, haven’t you?

But the Mill is sure this Stones business will be sorted out soon enough. In which case we’ll need a new interminable saga to keep the eyes nicely lubricated with blood until the window closes next week. Saido Berahino and Spurs are fielding this one for us. The dominoes continue to topple: if Berahino leaves the Hawthorns, West Brom will ask Charlie Austin to take his place. Leicester City and Crystal Palaceare also interested in offering the QPR striker another opportunity to make David Sullivan look foolish. Former suitors West Ham, for their part, will make do with a loan of Juventus forward Simone Zaza.

Speaking of interminable ... theLiverpool rumours last year ... Arsenaland Everton in this window ... Dynamo Kyiv winger Andriy Yarmolenko has to make a move soon, you’d think. Barcelona have suddenly shown an interest, so that will probably, finally, thankfully, be that.

Norwich City want Crystal Palace attacker Dwight Gayle and Wolverhampton’s £14m-rated Benik Afobe.

Watford are interested in £8m Rennes midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure.

And no, it’s not been such a bumper crop this morning. But Manchester United can’t make a £240m bid for Neymar every day.

Scottish Gossip: Virgil van Dijk on the verge of Celtic exit

Celtic skipper Scott Brown is "ashamed" following last night's Champions League play-off defeat to Malmo. (Various)

Defender Virgil van Dijk admits he has almost certainly played his last game for Celtic following the loss in Sweden. (Various)

Southampton are confident of landing Dutchman Van Dijk in a deal worth around £11m. (Daily Record)

Malmo skipper Markus Rosenberg taunts Celtic by claiming their 2-0 home victory was "easy". (Sun)

Norwich manager Alex Neil admits he may sell Gary Hooper after linking Celtic with a return for the striker. (Sun)

Former Aberdeen midfielder Neale Cooper reckons the "flexibility" in the current Pittodrie squad will be key to the side's success this season. (Daily Record)

Hamilton Accies have agreed terms with former QPR centre-half Jamie Sendles-White. (Daily Record)

Hearts have ended their interest in Shaun Rooney after a trial period and the Queen's Park full-back is now on Partick Thistle's radar. (Daily Record)

Rotherham boss Steve Evans confirms his interest in signing Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor. (Sun)

Kilmarnock's teenage goalkeeper Devlin Mackay is to have talks with Derby and could move south before the transfer window closes. (Sun)

Rangers defender Rob Kiernan says standards and confidence at Ibrox is so high that the team go into every match hoping to score "eight or nine" goals. (Daily Mail)

Hibs boss Alan Stubbs says he was surprised that Championship rivals Rangers let Darren McGregor leave after swiftly snapping up the versatile defender. (Various)

Celtic's long-standing finance director Eric Riley is to retire on health grounds. (Daily Mail)

Scotland's record points-scorer and cap holder Chris Paterson says "we're on the right track" after 20 years of pro rugby. (Herald)

Laura Muir has her sights on a medal at Rio 2016 after her fifth place finish in the 1500m at the World Championships. (Various)

Fiona Moore McGrath is stepping down from international netball after winning the last of her 62 caps at the recent World Cup. (The National)