Former Premier League player Fabrice Muamba has given his verdict on Newcastle United’s chances of signing Manchester United forward Anthony Martial.
Martial will be looking to impress Manchester United’s new interim-manager Ralf Rangnick, but he is competing against the likes of Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo for game time.
The Frenchman has struggled for regular game time this season.
Although he has made 10 appearances across all competitions, Martial has only had four starts and scored one goal.
With the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek also all searching for a spot in Rangnick’s starting XI as well, Martial is unlikely to be a frequent starter at Old Trafford.
With Newcastle’s new-found wealth and the January transfer window looming, Muamba has spoken about the Magpies’ chances of luring Martial to Tyneside come the new year.
Speaking on his Twitch channel after Manchester United had won their first game of the Rangnick era 1-0 win against Crystal Palace, Muamba said: “Martial for Newcastle United?
“Maybe, I feel like this manager (Rangnick) wants to promote young players, so if United can get £20m or £30m for Martial, that would be good business, that would be all-around good business.
“Martial for Newcastle, that is a possibility, he could be linked to Newcastle. Does he want to go to Newcastle, that is a question you have to ask him, but in the January window you’ll see them linked with a lot of players.”
The Mirror reported in October that Newcastle want to sign Martial from the Red Devils.
Manchester United could cash in on Martial if Newcastle give tempting offer
With youngsters Anthony Elanga and Amad Diallo in and around the Manchester United first team, Martial’s place in the squad could be quickly filled.
At 26-years-old and with a contract at Old Trafford until 2024, Newcastle would have to pay a huge sum to convince the Red Devils to part ways with their number nine.
It was only two season ago that the French international was scoring 17 goals in the Premier League. During his time at United since joining from Monaco in 2015, Martial has scored 79 goals and made 50 assists from 268 appearances.
Capable of playing upfront or on the wing, Martial would certainly add some firepower to Eddie Howe’s side. Martial would likely play from the left, with Allan Saint-Maximin on the right and Callum Wilson upfront.
Howe would have a forward line blessed with blistering pace, trickery and goalscoring pedigree.
With Newcastle needing quality reinforcements in January, Martial wouldn’t need time to acclimatise to the Premier League, following his time at the Theatre of Dreams.
With games coming thick and fast over the festive period, Martial will hope Rangnick will give him plenty of chances to impress.
But if he hasn’t improved on his two Premier League starts to his name so far, come January, the FA Cup and Europa League winner may seek a new challenge.
If Anthony Martial does, Newcastle have to be ready to pounce.
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