Published 19:05 IST, October 13th 2020
Anthony Martial 'almost conned us' into believing he was a No 9, claims Paul Scholes
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes admits Anthony Martial almost conned him into believing that the French international was a proper No 9.
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Manchester United have gotten off to a disastrous start in the 2020-21 Premier League season, having been completely outplayed in all their games so far. While a defence that has conceded 11 goals in three games has faced severe criticism, much of the outrage has also been directed at the attackers, especially Man United No 9 Anthony Martial. Red Devils legend Paul Scholes was the latest to hit out at the French international, claiming that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still needs a talismanic forward to lead the line.
Paul Scholes blasts Anthony Martial, claims French star almost conned everyone
Speaking to Stadium Astro, Manchester United legend Paul Scholes said he believes the club lacks a genuine striker to play through the middle. The former Red Devils star revealed that while the trio of Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford is extremely talented, the three still lack a natural goal-scoring instinct and called for the club to sign Tottenham talisman Harry Kane. Anthony Martial has established himself as the first-choice striker but the Frenchman is yet to open his tally this season and was sent off in his team's 6-1 mauling by Tottenham at Old Trafford.
Paul Scholes: "He's [Martial] started this season quite poorly again, which makes you think he isn't [a centre-forward]. It's misleading. That's why I've kept saying we need a top-class No 9." #mulive [stadium astro]
— utdreport (@utdreport) October 13, 2020
Paul Scholes admitted that Anthony Martial almost conned him into believing that he was the Man United No 9 because of the number of goals he scored last season. The former England international claimed that Anthony Martial's poor start to the season shows that last season's goals were misleading, and a centre-forward still remains a problem area for Manchester United. When quizzed who the Red Devils should sign to fix the problem, Paul Scholes labelled Tottenham captain Harry Kane and Dortmund star Erling Haaland as the options.
Paul Scholes: "The problem with #mufc's forwards is that none of them is an actual centre-forward. Martial almost conned us into thinking he was one at the end of last season because he scored so many goals and was quite good." #mulive [stadium astro]
— utdreport (@utdreport) October 13, 2020
While Manchester United signed Edinson Cavani on deadline day to provide competition for Anthony Martial, Scholes believes it was a strange piece of business by the club. The 45-year-old said that while Manchester United need a centre-forward, offering the 33-year-old a two-year deal was strange. Paul Scholes believes that Cavani would have been a very good stop-gap option, like Henrik Larsson who joined the Red Devils on a half-season loan from Barcelona. While Cavani arrives with a reputation of having scored 200 goals in his stint with Paris Saint-Germain, at 33, many including Paul Scholes believe this was a 'panic buy'.
Also Read: Gareth Bale Scores Stunning Goals In Spurs Training As He targets Return Against West Ham
(Image Courtesy: Anthony Martial Instagram, Champions League Twitter)
19:05 IST, October 13th 2020