Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney did not know who Anthony Martial was when he joined Manchester United and had to google who the French teenager was. However, Martial had had the last laugh, as the most expensive teenage signing has enjoyed a stellar debut season, with Rooney now well aware of who Martial is.
In a lengthy interview with the Daily Mail ahead of Manchester United’s FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, Martial revealed his response to the knowledge of Rooney’s ignorance, saying “Well, he knows me now doesn't he! I've heard that story. I guess it's pretty amusing. I don't know whether it's true but it doesn't bother me at all.”
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Martial has scored 17 goals and assisted 5 goals in 48 appearances for Manchester United this season, a decent return for a fee that could rise to 58 million for Manchester United. The Frenchman, however, was unperturbed by the fee, saying “It's not a case of proving anything to other people. I don't pay too much attention to that. I want to prove to myself that I can succeed.”
“I didn't try to put too much pressure on myself,' he says. 'Obviously, people mention the price tag but I just came here to do my best. What helped was that I'd already gone through quite an expensive transfer in the past when I moved from Lyon to Monaco.”
Martial wants to become a Manchester United icon
With Manchester United about to take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final tonight, Martial has a perfect chance to write himself into the Red Devils’ folklore. The Frenchman already has had some iconic moments, with his debut goal against Liverpool being his favourite moment so far, saying “ It just couldn't have been a better way to start.”
“From being a kid I'd dreamed of playing at Old Trafford and to score in my first game in such a way against United's biggest rival — it couldn't have turned out better.”
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Martial has continued, scoring the goal against Everton that brought United to the FA Cup final, and would like to repeat a similar feat, saying “I love Manchester and see myself being here for a good while yet. If I was to become an icon I'd be very happy but you can't possibly say at this stage. It depends on how I play, how many goals I score and how I perform in the years to come.”
“I'll need to score a lot of goals and the team will need to pick up trophies. We're going to do everything we can to bring the FA Cup back to Manchester.”
