Liverpool legend Graeme Souness claims “no player better captured the club’s malaise” at Man Utd than former Monaco striker Anthony Martial.
The Red Devils signed the Frenchman from Monaco for £36m in 2015 in a deal that made him the most expensive teenager in history at the time.
Former Man Utd striker Martial scored 90 goals in 317 matches in all competitions before leaving the club at the end of last season on a free transfer.
Martial had some trouble finding a new club because of his wage demands and injury record but he eventually signed for AEK Athens on a three-year deal earlier this week.
And Souness has ripped into Martial on his exit from Old Trafford by insisting that the former France international “could not deal with playing for a big club”.
Souness wrote in the Daily Mail: “In his nine seasons at Manchester United, no player better captured the club’s malaise. He is the best example of where they have gone wrong.
“I said about four years ago, entering a new season, that it had to be Martial’s last-chance saloon. I cannot believe it was only this summer that he finally left the club.”
Souness added: “It was as plain as the nose on the end of your face that he wasn’t a Manchester United player and that was obvious after a couple of seasons. He just could not deal with playing for a big club like United, where every game is [a] must-win.
“There was no doubting his ability. He had everything to be a top player, but he just became a liability in the end. You go from thinking, on his first day, ‘What a player he could be’, to now, ‘What a player he could have been’. But Manchester United can do that to players – it takes a certain type of mental resilience to succeed.”
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Man Utd centre-back Lisandro Martinez evaded serious punishment for a two-footed tackle on Crystal Palace player Daichi Kamada on Saturday as he was issued with a booking.
And former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy insists it wasn’t a red card, he said on talkSPORT: “It’s not a red for me. It’s an ugly tackle. He hasn’t made contact. I don’t think it’s enough for a red, I don’t think it is.
“It’s terrible, but he makes no contact with the ball, hardly any, makes no contact with the player. That has to come into it.
“He jumps up with both feet in the air, knees bent, and he comes stamping down in front of the ball. I can’t remember who the player was, but if his foot is on the other side of the ball, it’s a straight red. He doesn’t make contact with the player, and I think that has to be considered.
“The only reason he gets away with it is because he makes no contact with the player. It’s really odd, actually strange, almost amateurish. It’s a terrible tackle.”
