Anthony Martial’s summer move to AEK Athens perhaps stood as the biggest surprise and a kind of fall from grace for the once-French prodigy.
Injuries and inconsistencies condemned Anthony Martial to not having many top clubs to choose from and ultimately, he found a home in Greece.
He joined Facundo Pellistri and Shola Shoretire in a summer where Greece became a regular exit destination for the departing Man Utd squad members.
The striker took a while to get going at his new club as well since he was completely devoid of any match fitness but now he’s firing on all cylinders.
Anthony Martial stars for AEK Athens
Having joined in the summer, he had to wait almost two months before making his debut, playing 15 minutes against Shoretire’s PAOK.
His workload since then has increased consistently and so has the level of his performances as AEK have managed him with extreme caution.
Martial recently scored his first goal for AEK Athens in the domestic cup competition, the winner in the 1-0 win over Aris.
That sent him on his way to becoming a fan favourite with his new club for whom his capture was already something of a coup.
He has continued his good form in their most recent fixture, a 3-0 win over Asteras Tripolis in which he played the full 90 and laid on a slick assist to put his stamp on the game.
Martial created a massive seven chances in the game, finishing with 61 touches of the ball as he was shifted back to left-wing, the position where he broke through at Old Trafford.
The opposition couldn’t deal with his trickery and agility as he got used to the slower pace of the Greek league, which is coming as a huge boost for him.
He has clearly lost a yard of pace and his unsure about getting into duels after his injuries but the technical excellence remains a key part of his game which was on full display here.
Anthony Martial achieves encouraging feat
The inconsistency played a part but a large issue behind Martial’s failure increasingly became his inability to remain fit and reliable for selection.
His end at United was as bad as the start was good, with his last appearance for the club coming all the way back in December 2023 against Bournemouth.
He was subbed off due to injury on that forgettable day as Bournemouth ran roughshod over United, winning 0-3. Martial’s comeback would keep getting delayed and fans Man Utd fans made peace with the fact that he had played his last game for the club.
Even before that injury brought his Utd career to an end with a whimper, he had never played the full 90 for the club in the 2023/24 season.
Martial made a total of 19 appearances that season but they equated to just 629 minutes of action as his body broke down completely.
In complete contrast to that, Martial’s appearances vs Asteras Tripolis was his second consecutive 90 minute-display for AEK Athens, building on his 90 vs Atromitos just a week earlier.
Still just 28, a fit and firing Martial can make his way back to the top-five leagues if he keeps this up. This is a good start even though United would wish it happened at Old Trafford more often than it did.
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