Former striker Dimitar Berbatov hopes Anthony Martial stays at Manchester United this forthcoming summer following his recent return from injury.
The Frenchman, who joined United from AS Monaco back in September 2015, returned from a lengthy injury lay-off earlier this month and has featured in each of the Reds' last five matches. He has started the last two games and stored a healthy 72 minutes under his belt during Sunday's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Martial, who spent time on loan at Sevilla last season, has been restricted to just 19 appearances this season because of endless injury problems. When he has been fit, however, he has impressed, scoring a respectable seven goals and grabbing three assists, with the most recent of those seven goals coming in the 2-0 win over Everton a little over a week ago.
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Despite manager Erik ten Hag often saying that United have performed better when Martial has played this season, his injury issues have meant that the Dutchman has been unable to rely on him, meaning he is understood to have become frustrated with the forward. As reported by the Manchester Evening News in February, the Reds are prepared to sell him this summer.
But should the French international be able to prove his fitness, Berbatov, who has been impressed by his recent contributions, would like to see him stay at the club for next season.
"I would like to see him stay," admitted Berbatov, speaking to Betfred. "I played with Anthony at Monaco and I know that he has the ability to be better than he's showing.
"The only thing he needs to do is stay injury-free and he needs to know that the manager trusts him. He needs to know that he can make the odd mistake during the game without the possibility of being substituted or being left out the next game.
"He needs the full trust of a manager and then he can play to his maximum capability. I'm pleased with what I've seen of him since his return from injury and I'd like to see him stay at Manchester United."
This summer is likely to see more outgoings than incomings at Old Trafford, with Ten Hag keen to offload some of the deadwood within his squad. However, there will be a need for new additions, particularly in midfield and attack.
Bayern Munich loanee Marcel Sabitzer, who joined the club in January, has impressed recently, meaning he has made it impossible for the Reds to completely rule out the idea of a permanent move for his signature.
Berbatov, addressing Sabitzer's impact, added: "I've been pleasantly surprised with the way he's adapted to life at Old Trafford and I was especially impressed with his performance in the home leg against Sevilla.
"If he continues to perform to that level, then I'm sure he will deserve a permanent move to the club in the summer. He's now having to accept that he isn't going to start every game for the club, but whenever he's on the pitch, he's giving 100 per cent commitment.
"There's a lot of competition in the midfield at Manchester United, so it's the manager's job to try and keep everybody happy and manage that situation."
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