Manchester United: Why selling Martial would be a mistake for the club

Everyone at the club is aware of the talent Martial possesses. His debut against Liverpool in the fall of 2015 was electrifying, and his playing style exudes excitement when he is on song.

As with many young players, consistency can be an issue for the enigmatic Martial. He does not yet possess the elite-level, decision-making of an international forward. He has flashes of sheer brilliance, but they are not enough to drive a team to the Premier League title.

But the fact is, he is only 22. He will not improve unless he is regularly played in games. Mourinho, however, is focused on the short-term.

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The players linked with United, such as Ivan Perisic, and Toby Alderweireld, are all short term fixes. They are players at their theoretical peaks. This is not only true of this summer.

All of Mourinho’s major first team signings who consistently play, barring Romelu Lukaku, are older players. Alexis Sanchez and Nemanja Matic are in the team week in and week out. Meanwhile, players like Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly are played inconsistently, despite their promise.

Mourinho loves his players to be consistent. It was the hallmark of his title wins at Chelsea. It is the reason he does not trust Martial. But it is also a short-term approach.

Ed Woodward, for all his faults, is right to bring up this issue, as United already made this mistake with Paul Pogba.

Let go at the end of his contract, Pogba refused to sign on due to a lack of first-team opportunities. Instead, he moved to Juventus and blossomed into the player we see today, one capable of dominating a World Cup Final.

Woodward’s fear is that a similar situation could arise with Martial.