#3 Anthony Martial
The 2015/16 campaign saw Manchester United struggle with a change of identity under the now departed Louis van Gaal and despite an overall disappointing season, there were some positives including the arrival of Anthony Martial and the emergence of Marcus Rashford.
Martial, however, has not been a part of the current Jose Mourinho reign to make the Red Devils a force once again but has been sidelined, quite literally.
Ousted by the questionable Wayne Rooney and the unreliable Jesse Lingard, the France international hasn’t been allowed to showcase what he can do this term. Right now, with the 13-time Premier League champions on a decent run of form his exclusion has largely gone under the radar, but Rooney, at 31, will tire come the Spring and Lingard might not be able to produce against the bigger opponents.
Martial can inject something special into this team, but if he’s consistently left out of the Special One’s plans, he will eventually plot a path for the exit door and if that happens United will be sorry they neglected him. It could be argued that his efforts on the pitch haven’t warranted him extra playing time, but he is a player that needs a little extra love from the manager.
His pace on the wing, his athleticism, his decision making and his energy might not be as polished as the fans might like but he has that x-factor, that squirt of genius they only have right now in the form of the free-scoring Zlatan Ibrahimovic. They need more than one source of brilliance, and Martial can offer it.
Come on, Jose – include Martial in your plans.
