The Alexis Sanchez question, or the Anthony Martial question, depending on perspective, has taken on new life this season after the former’s continued struggles at Manchester United.
Sanchez was a high-profile signing from Arsenal in January, both a statement that a player constantly linked with Manchester City ended up choosing to go to Old Trafford instead, and a box-office player with Premier League pedigree who could be counted on to deliver.
Given Martial’s erratic form throughout his time at United, benching him for the new arrival was a no-brainer. And there’s no doubt that his performances have suffered since he stopped being a first-choice or even second-choice player.
Since Sanchez joined, Martial has made just seven starts, and 15 total appearances. In that time he hasn’t scored a league goal, and he’s only found the back of the net once overall, against Young Boys in this season’s Champions League. On top of that, he’s only tallied a single assist.
Yet, it’s hard to say that picking Sanchez over Martial has been the definitively better choice. The Chilean’s stats are three goals and six assists, despite getting much more playing time – 23 appearances – and he’s yet to score this season.
Sanchez does create more chances – 3.24 per 90 minutes this season, as opposed to 2.15 for Martial – and last season, he was the better dribbler, though the Frenchman’s numbers are much improved in 2018/19, with a success rate of 72% to Sanchez’s 45%, and over one more successful dribble per 90 minutes (2.47 to 1.35).
The strangest thing is that Martial, despite all the drama of the summer when his relationship with Jose Mourinho looked beyond repair and his agent said he wanted a move away from Old Trafford, actually looks like an improved player this season, albeit on limited viewing. He can still cut a disinterested, sulky figure, but it seems that he’s grown in confidence – perhaps because his contract talks at the club have convinced him that he’ll outlast the manager.
Sanchez, on the other hand, gets easily frustrated, and tries too hard to affect the game – signs of low confidence despite having the backing of the man in charge. The promise that he could deliver instantly has yet to be fulfilled. Arguably, he’s had only one truly good game, the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham last season, with the former Barcelona and Udinese star underwhelming in the rest of his United career.
So, is it time for a swap? Martial could do with a run of games to build on whatever form he’s found to start this season, and, equally, hiding Sanchez away from the limelight and allowing him to work on his game in training could also be beneficial.
United are already eight points behind early pace-setters Liverpool and were dumped out of the Carabao Cup in the third round on Tuesday. Mourinho prefers hard-working forwards like Sanchez to more mercurial talents like Martial, but this season already seems to be slipping away, and it may be the perfect time to gamble on the 22-year-old to help turn around the campaign.
