Martial’s current deal expires at the end of the season (Picture: Getty)
Anthony Martial is among the four Manchester United players who could be offered a contract extension in the coming months.
The French forward is now in his ninth season at Old Trafford, making him the club’s second longest serving player behind Luke Shaw.
While he has shone in spells during his time in Manchester, injuries have taken their toll with Martial not completing a game since January 2021.
He was once again subbed off last weekend against Newcastle United, widely criticised for a perceived lack of effort in that match having also clashed with his manager who was shouting instructions to him from the touchline.
Martial is among a group of players who have entered the final year of their contract at United alongside Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Hannibal Mejbri.
United have the option to trigger one-year extensions on each of those players, exercising that option on the contracts of Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Fred this time last year.
Asked if similar steps will be taken with Martial, Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka and Mejbri, ten Hag told a press conference: ‘When we have news about that… it’s absolutely in our mindset, we are discussing things and when we have news, we will bring it.’
Martial’s performance against Newcastle was widely criticised (Picture: Getty)
Martial’s time at United looked to be coming to an end when he joined Sevilla on loan in January 2022 but he returned to the club the following summer after scoring just one goal in 12 appearances.
The former Monaco starlet has scored 89 goals in 312 appearances for the club with former United captain Gary Neville believing he should have been offloaded a long time ago.
‘When you hear that stat that a guy [Martial] has been at the club nine years, a goalscorer that cost £50 million, £60m, £70m, has scored basically 89 goals in nine years and we still can’t get him out the club, I don’t think we are being too harsh. I don’t think we’re being harsh enough,’ Neville said last week after the defeat at Newcastle.
‘The failings of the football department and recruitment is just absolutely incredible. They’re human beings at the end of the day and no one wants to go on the pitch, play badly and not achieve their standards. Nobody wants to be injured.
‘So I accept all those factors but the reality is there is no way he should still be leading the line at Man United in any competition, even the Carabao Cup.’
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The Frenchman has just over six months left on his current deal.
