Thierry Henry
has called into question Louis van Gaal's use of £36 million summer
signing Anthony Martial and believes Jose Mourinho would be a fine
appointment at the Manchester United helm.
Martial—who has earned comparisons to France legend Henry—got on the scoresheet in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to Norwich City. But Arsenal legend Henry questioned why his compatriot was fielded on the wing during Sky Sports' Monday Night Football:
What are you doing here? I actually do not know what he is doing there. He should be there [in the penalty area], having a one versus one, scoring and celebrating. Is it fear? Is it because they have been brainwashed a bit too much? I just don't get it.Restricting Martial to playing out wide has been one of the tactical decisions that has left fans scratching their heads at Old Trafford, considering the Frenchman was brought in from Monaco to provide goals.
They wanted a guy who scored goals. They wanted a guy to run in behind fast. He came in and did that. Suddenly now he finds himself out there, almost not touching the ball. I think if I had a player like that, he would be my No 9 and the rest are around him.
Martial instantly did that with a dream start to life in the Premier League and a run of four goals in his first three games for the club, a streak that might convince any manager of his scoring potential as a No. 9.
Steve Bardens/Getty Images
Ex-Scotland midfielder Don Hutchison has also asked why Martial hasn't been handed more opportunities in the centre of attack, clearly of the understanding he's United's biggest threat:
The debate over Martial hasn't helped United's poor run of late, failing to win any of their last six games and losing the last three in succession, intensifying some calls for the club to pursue Mourinho.
The Portuguese is free after being fired by Chelsea, and Henry told Sky Sports he thinks Mourinho can transform United into an attractive outfit once more, per the Daily Star's Joshua Evans:
In his time at the beginning at Chelsea, if you remember, with Robben and Duff on the sides, and Gudjohnsen in the middle, then Didier Drogba arriving after, they were a good team going forward. They weren't conceding goals, they were hitting you on the break, but they were kind of exciting going forward.Van Gaal was also highly spoken of prior to his arrival at United 18 months ago, having placed third at the 2014 World Cup with the Netherlands and boasting one of the most decorated resumes in Europe.
He also won the league in Spain outscoring Barcelona - the Barcelona of [Pep] Guardiola. So I think that he can be a good fit.
However, his reputation has fallen at the Theatre of Dreams, and Chelsea's horror campaign also shows even the biggest names can stumble. Jamie Carragher offered counter-points as to why he thinks Mourinho would be a bad fit for the Red Devils, per Evans:
If I think of Man United in the past 50 or 60 years of what they’re about, winning trophies, Jose massively ticks that box. But bringing through young players? No.It's a difficult time at Old Trafford considering Van Gaal still has 18 months remaining on his current contract, but BBC Sport confirmed the tactician is "worried" following Saturday's embarrassment against the Canaries.
Playing exciting football, cultured football, going for every game? He doesn’t tick that box either.
However, Mourinho will not go behind the back of his former Barcelona mentor, according to Sport Witness, who claimed he won't agree a deal while Van Gaal is still at the Old Trafford helm:
Manchester United are at a crossroads where any change might offer what appears to be improvement, but both Henry and Carragher offer up valid points as to why Mourinho may or may not be a United success.
For now, the English giants battle on with Van Gaal as their leader, and pressure is building ahead of a crunch clash at Stoke City on Boxing Day that could greatly impact the manager's future at the club.
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