Anthony Martial could be set for a contract extension at Manchester United, representing a remarkable turnaround over the space of just a few months.
The French international joined United from Monaco back in 2015, but was sent out on loan to Sevilla last season and looked poised to leave Old Trafford permanently after underwhelming during his time in Spain. Things have changed since Erik ten Hag's appointment as manager, though, with the forward impressing in pre-season and reintegrating himself into the first-team picture.
Martial is under contract until 2024, having signed a long-term deal back in January 2019, and is one of the highest earners at the club. However, after just a few months working with the 26-year-old, Ten Hag appears to like what he has seen.
According to The Daily Star, United want to extend Martial's deal by two more years. The new deal would reportedly be on the same terms of around £270,000 per week - a comparable amount to Bruno Fernandes after the Portugal star signed a new deal of his own in April.
A new deal for Martial appears unlikely to have any bearing on Cristiano Ronaldo's future, though. Despite the veteran asking to leave earlier in the window, Ten Hag confirmed the club remains hopeful of keeping him around.
“We plan with him. We stick to the plan. I hope he is here," the former Ajax boss said of Ronaldo.
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With Ronaldo sitting out Man Utd's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia for family reasons, Martial was trusted to lead the line and scored three goals in as many outings to convince Ten Hag to stick with him. However, injuries have restricted him to just one appearance in the Premier League under Ten Hag.
The former Lyon man came off the bench to set up Marcus Rashford's goal against Liverpool after recovering from a hamstring problem. Injury struck again before Saturday's game against Southampton, though, leaving Rashford to lead the line in the 1-0 victory at St Mary's.
"That is what I expected when there is a lot of pressure on the ball that there is a striker that we can play over and he did really well," Ten Hag said after the win. "We have Cristiano, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford so we are okay [for strikers].
“If a good player is available we will strike because we want to strengthen the squad. Always. We will be alert until the last second of the window."
