Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial remain two of the most expensive signings in Manchester United’s long history.
Pogba returned to Man United in 2016 after flourishing at Juventus, a reunion that didn’t necessarily have a happy ending.
On Martial’s part, the French striker made his big money move to Old Trafford one year prior in 2015, a lethal number nine who was being talked about across Europe.
Of course, Martial only officially left United in 2024, and he’s now reviving his career with AEK Athens in Greece at the age of 29-years-old.
And whilst Pogba and Martial will have shared some excellent memories playing alongside each other in Manchester, the pair will ultimately be remembered as high-profile disappointments by a lot of United fans.
Paul Pogba thought Anthony Martial would come good at Man United
That being said, when speaking to MUTV in 2017, Pogba delivered some strong praise towards Martial when he had just been snubbed for a spot in France’s squad.
And when doing so, Pogba claimed that the world was about to see an improved version of Martial – something that didn’t necessarily happen.
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Martial obviously had strong periods at Old Trafford, but he never really became United’s dominant number nine, as Pogba seemed to be alluding to.
Praising Martial in 2017, Pogba said: “Anthony is a big, big, big talent. He’s a talented player – one of the best players I have ever seen or trained with.
“He will improve a lot and you are going to see even more of Anthony I’m sure.”
Anthony Martial’s goal record at Old Trafford
In total, Martial scored 90 goals for United in 317 games, with 17 strikes being the most he managed in one Premier League season.
And when reflecting on the Frenchman’s output, there wasn’t any real clear pattern of progress throughout his time with the club, at least in terms of his scoring.
| Games | Goals | Assists | |
| 2015/16 | 56 | 18 | 10 |
| 2016/17 | 42 | 8 | 8 |
| 2017/18 | 45 | 11 | 9 |
| 2018/19 | 38 | 12 | 2 |
| 2019/20 | 48 | 23 | 10 |
| 2020/21 | 36 | 7 | 5 |
| 2021/22* | 23 | 2 | 1 |
| 2022/23 | 29 | 9 | 2 |
| 2023/24 | 19 | 2 | 1 |
Interestingly, Phil Jones made an admission about Martial when speaking a few months ago, a striker who always attracted a lot of opinions.
Either way, it’s redeeming to see that Martial is now enjoying success in Athens, where he’ll probably be appreciating a lot less noise about his performances.
Martial has netted nine goals in 20 appearances for the Greek side, a fresh start for the former Monaco man.
