Furious Manchester United fans have ruthlessly criticised “finished” Anthony Martial after the French forward’s underwhelming performance against Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Saturday.
United manager Erik ten Hag opted to start Martial ahead of Rasmus Hojlund, who hasn’t scored for the Red Devils in 11 Premier League matches so far.
Despite failing to find the back of the net in the Premier League, Hojlund did impress fans with his work rate and display in United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday.
Martial, who is out of contract next summer, endured a frustrating match against Bournemouth and struggled to win United fans over with his performance.
United fans on X, formerly Twitter, vented their frustration at the 28-year-old Red Devils striker’s lack of “desire” and work rate on the pitch when his side conceded.
United fans unimpressed with Martial’s display vs Bournemouth
Martial, who was previously slammed by fans for his performance against Arsenal in September, has often frustrated supporters due to his lack of consistency in the final third.
The United star can produce moments of magic, but far too often Martial has offered little to his side’s performance and his display against Bournemouth was no different.
“I don’t understand why Hojlund isn’t playing. Match is beyond ideal for him.
Martial offers nothing,” one fan said.
While another added: “How’s Martial still getting a look in… absolutely awful decision that he literally offers nothing.”
A third posted: “The persistence with Martial literally pains me.”
Someone else commented: “Everyone is working hard, so those who aren’t stand out. Word to Martial.”
“Martial is finished man,” an X user simply stated.
And a sixth tweeted: “Martial is so far behind play it’s infuriating! Just no desire at all.”
Another wrote: “I don’t understand why Martial is starting. He’s useless.”
Why did Martial start ahead of Hojlund?
Hojlund has established himself as United’s first-choice striker since his stunning £72m transfer from Serie A side Atalanta last summer.
Ten Hag is a big admirer of the 20-year-old Denmark striker and sees Hojlund as a long-term option at Old Trafford, with Martial’s current United future unclear.
While Hojlund has struggled to find the back of the net in the Premier League, the United star has found his goalscoring form in the Champions League this season.
United face a crucial Champions League tie against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday, with Ten Hag’s men on the verge of crashing out of the competition.
Speaking ahead of the Bournemouth match, Ten Hag insisted that Martial needed regular first-team minutes and Hojlund needed to rest amid United’s busy schedule.
“Sergio [Reguilon] came [on] midweek for Victor [Lindelof] and he did very good,” he told ManchesterWorld.
“Hojlund played a lot of games, many games to play, but also to give Anthony Martial the opportunity.
“He played very good against Everton and less good against Newcastle, but he has to prove it every third day.”
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