The agent of new Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has spoken out to defend his client amidst criticism aimed at the young forward.
The 19-year-old became both the most expensive Frenchman and the most expensive teenager of all time when he left AS Monaco for United in the summer, moving for a reported fee of £36 million, although the deal could rise to £58 million due to add-ons, according to BBC Sport.
The fee has raised some consternation, with Ray Parlour [Sky Sports] and Thierry Henry [Express] just some of the figures to doubt whether the youngster will be a hit in the Premier League.
Indeed, Martial remains at a remarkably early stage of his development—he is yet to reach double figures for goals in any league season—and it will be a hard ask for him to repay the faith shown in him by Louis van Gaal.
Other figures, such as Phil Neville, however, are more confident that Martial can be a success in Manchester [Daily Mail].
However, speaking to L’Equipe [via Le 10 Sport], Martial’s agent Philippe Lamboley has defended his client and insisted that the young Martial has the qualities to be a hit at Old Trafford.
“Anthony, he’s someone who is 19,” his agent continued, “but he is always calm. I still feel confident, confident in him and in us.”
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Lamboley also discussed why Martial had opted to leave the Club of the Principality, and described his client’s disappointment with the project at Monaco.
“I think that we wouldn’t leave for Manchester if Monaco had qualified for the Champions League. The project at Monaco, when we signed there, was to integrate into a project like a second Paris Saint-Germain, but the project changed.”
Last season, the frontman managed nine goals in 35 Ligue 1 outings.