- Gary Neville has questioned how Anthony Martial fits into the Manchester United team
- The Frenchman was linked with Arsenal during the Alexis Sanchez transfer saga
- Sanchez’s arrival means Jose Mourinho is struggling to fit all his forwards in
- MORE: Manchester United legend names the only world class player in Mourinho’s squad
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has inadvertently given Arsenal some renewed hope over the transfer of Anthony Martial after they tried to sign him in January.
The Daily Star reported back in January that Arsenal asked United about landing Martial during talks over Alexis Sanchez, who eventually moved to Old Trafford in a swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Still, Martial could be a great fit for Arsenal and their current needs, with Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang still arguably not enough to replace the departing trio of Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott.
In discussing Jose Mourinho’s selection problems up front, Neville admitted that there isn’t an obvious way of dealing with Martial and all the club’s other attacking talent.
The France international’s best position is as a central striker, but he’s been used out wide on both flanks at United in recent times.
It could be that the signing of Sanchez from Arsenal will end up presenting the Gunners with a chance to sign Martial after all, as the 22-year-old will want to ensure he’s playing regularly in his preferred role at the top level.
‘The problem for Jose Mourinho at the moment is how you get Romelu Lukaku, Rashford, Martial and Sanchez into a front combination thanks works together,’ Neville told Goal.
‘That’s the big question at the moment, who plays on the right? Martial’s been out there, we’ve seen Sanchez out there in a couple of games, and neither of them are ideal out there.
‘They’d all probably prefer to play centre forward, Rashford, Martial, Sanchez and obviously Lukaku. So at the moment it’s how they fit into a front three which is the most interesting thing, not which one plays. They have to show they can play together.’
With Martial being used in unfamiliar roles to accommodate the likes of Lukaku and Sanchez who’ve both been signed since he joined, Arsenal could do well to keep an eye on his situation if they remain interested in him again.
The Daily Mail have also reported that Mourinho is angry at the club for not sorting out a new contract for the player.