The stand-out transfer of deadline day was Manchester United’s acquisition of forward Anthony Martial from AS Monaco.
The attacker was a surprise target for the Red Devils, and certainly isn’t the high-profile striker that some fans might have expected following their unconvincing start to the season, despite his eye-watering £36 million price tag.
United striker Wayne Rooney was clearly perplexed by the move himself, with Morgan Schneiderlin revealing—as per the Mirror—that the England attacker had asked the Frenchman who Martial was.
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Rooney’s reaction perhaps sums up just how ‘off the wall’ Louis van Gaal’s transfer decision was.
However, Martial himself has refused to take umbrage with Rooney’s comments, admitting that it’s ‘normal’ that his new teammate hasn’t heard of him.
“It’s normal that Rooney doesn’t know who I am. This is my first time with France and I’ve played a little in Ligue 1,” the striker began, as per the Mirror, discussing Rooney’s comments and his recent international call up.
On the subject of his transfer fee, Martial admitted, however, that he wasn’t sure whether he represented value for money: “I don’t know if I’m worth the fee,” he continued.
“That’s between the two clubs. It’s up to me to prove my worth.
United will be hoping that their new man can hit the ground running after their slow start to the season.
They only overcame Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa by 1-0 scorelines, while they drew a blank against Newcastle United in a 0-0 draw and were unable to respond when Swansea City took a 2-1 lead against them last weekend.
Teenager Martial, however, is yet to bag double figures in a league campaign, and has much to prove after moving to both a new league and a new country.