Why Man Utd’s Anthony Martial Deserved a YPOTY Nomination
Joe Devine |
April 28, 2016 |
0 Comments
Football News 24/7
Meaningless as it is, the PFA awards season has come to an end. Another year, another professional circle jerk. And whilst it’s obviously silly to get upset about the awarding of miniature, ceremonial shiny things—sections of the Old Trafford support might be, legitimately, questioning why Anthony Martial wasn’t nominated in the Young Player of the Year category.
Arriving in Manchester as a 19-year-old, potentially the most expensive teenager ever, most media outlets questioned Martial’s ability to overcome the enormous amounts of pressure they themselves were facilitating, and in some cases, exasperating. Setting the stage with similar safety precautions to the one Sepp Blatter fell off that time.
Some foresaw a repeat of the previous season’s Angel Di Maria conundrum, an expensive Manchester United signing failing to live up to expectations. Some kinder reports expected a limited, initial role for the youngster, perhaps fated to eventually replace Wayne Rooney as the club’s foremost forward. Yet, few predicted what has since come to pass; a prominent, vital role within the team, and a very young player rising to meet and potentially surpass expectation.
A clichéd “dream debut” almost contributed to the nervousness surrounding Martial. Some of the supporters lining the stands of Old Trafford that day were also there on April 5, 2009. They saw Federico Macheda’s dashing brace dismantle Aston Villa. They’d felt the brunt of broken promises. And when the celebrations subsided, those prying doubts inevitably crept in.
Unnecessarily, it would seem. Directly contributing to 14 goals for United this season (11 goals, three assists), Martial has started 25 games, and played a prominent role in each, scoring some very important goals—not least his last-minute effort against Everton in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend.
What is perhaps most impressive about the youngster is his deathly calm in highly pressurised situations. For a person of such young age, his maturity in front of goal seems almost psychopathic. A dead-eyed tranquillity emanates from Martial. Added to his supreme technical ability, he is the ideal striking prototype. Physically and emotionally designed for goals.
The Thierry Henry label has also failed to stick. Not because Martial cannot live up to the heights of Henry’s best years, but because the greatest talents forge their own path. They defy public scrutiny, and exist only comparable to themselves. The pundits stopped the Henry comparisons when it became clear that Martial can only sensibly be defined as Anthony Martial.
But, don’t mistake glowing praise for overreaction. The names of those nominated for the Young Player of the Year award all, arguably, deserved their place. The purpose of this is not to compare Martial’s impact to theirs, but his accomplishment.
Of all their achievements, no one else on that list overcame the expectation and vitriol that accompanies a transfer fee of that magnitude. With the exception of eventual winner Dele Alli, none were new to the league. Four of them, however, are English, and that is rather interesting.
Gameweek 31 FREE TO PLAY Predictor Game
One of the external reasons for Martial’s diminishing pressure is the arrival of Marcus Rashford. The prolific youngster replaced Martial both in the solo-striking role, and in the papers. His talent undoubted, his nationality? certainly connected to his hype. Rashford is of national interest, and as such has received rather more intrigue from the English media. Were Martial English, would he have been nominated?
This is not a question of racism or xenophobia, it’s a question of manipulated realities. Rashford is represented beyond his reality, by way of repeated England call-up questions, future national career suggestions, local hero connotations. His stock is heightened due to the amount of press coverage he receives. As is Ross Barkley’s, whom you might agree, had a reasonable season—but arguably no better in reality to Martial’s, or any number of other young players.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether or not Martial received a nomination. The support and enthusiasm of peers is nice, but Premier League football players, by virtue of the fact that they are Premier League football players, clearly operate with a different engine; they source their drive elsewhere.
If Martial’s eventual transfer fee rises to north of £61 million, as it looks likely to, what matters is that the money was well spent. Spent on instinct, on natural talent, on dead-eyes, and not just individual awards ceremonies.