Jamie Carragher's particularly brutal assessment of Manchester United's squad four years ago appears to have fallen on deaf ears considering two of the three players he singled out are still at the club.
The Liverpool legend suggested that in 2019 the Red Devils were gripped with a similar kind of fear to the one he feels plagued his old side years prior in that they felt they wouldn't be able to survive without a few key players. At the time, Paul Pogba was stalling on extending his stay while David de Gea seemed desperate to force through a move to Real Madrid.
Carragher insisted that United should remember how big of a club they are and encouraged them to avoid begging any player to stay at Old Trafford.
"I think about that with some of the Man United players. It feels like De Gea is messing about with his contract, Pogba is the same, maybe Martial has just signed one right now.
"This idea that these players can't leave your club or it will all fall apart - It's Man United! It's one of the biggest clubs in the world, and you're not exactly pulling up trees with them anyway. So if people aren't showing the right attitude just make a decision.
"Be a big club and a proper club and say 'OK. If you don't accept what we want to do, move on and we'll get someone else'. It's Manchester United!
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"Never forget how big the club is and the power that they've got. Don't ever let these players dictate to the club about signing contracts, just get rid of them!"
Well, Carragher's advice went ignored by then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and continues to be snubbed by current boss Erik ten Hag.
Though one of Carragher's three targets, Pogba, has since departed and returned to Juventus following the expiration of his Red Devils deal, Martial and De Gea remain in Manchester to this day.
The latter is still United's first-choice goalkeeper, though history is repeating itself as he is once again dithering over a contract extension and has rejected the club's first offer.
The Spaniard was keen not to dwell too much on the negotiations to the media as he told reporters: "It is time just to be focused as we play many games in a row. It is not time to lose focus and think about contracts. My aim is to keep going and play my best."
As for Martial, the France international has netted just four league goals this term after an injury-hit campaign but seems to have the backing of Ten Hag.
