{"id":1272349,"date":"2022-08-09T15:50:14","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T14:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1272349"},"modified":"2022-08-09T15:50:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-09T14:50:14","slug":"anthony-martial-paul-pogba-man-utd","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/anthony-martial-paul-pogba-man-utd\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThey are dodgy\u201d \u2014 Graeme Souness says Man Utd have another \u2018Paul Pogba\u2019 situation with Anthony Martial"},"content":{"rendered":"

Graeme Souness has likened Anthony Martial\u2019s current position at Manchester United to that of former midfielder Paul Pogba, believing he can\u2019t be relied upon to consistently perform for the club.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Martial, 26, appeared in line to start for the Red Devils in Erik ten Hag\u2019s first game in charge over the weekend, having flourished in pre-season, but a muscular injury sustained in training last week rendered him unavailable for Sunday\u2019s match.<\/p>\n

As such, Ten Hag deployed an XI without a recognised centre-forward as they fell to an opening-day 2-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford, intensifying the spotlight on the Dutchman after just one game in charge.<\/p>\n

Find the latest Premier League top four odds for the 2025-26 season here:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

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PREMIER LEAGUE TOP FOUR ODDS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n

Club<\/b><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\r\nSky Bet<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Manchester United<\/b><\/td>\r\n1\/12<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Aston Villa<\/strong><\/td>\r\n1\/2<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Liverpool<\/b><\/td>\r\n7\/4<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Chelsea<\/b><\/td>\r\n7\/2<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

You have to be 18+ to gamble. All odds within this article are accurate at the time of writing (16:00, 22\/09\/2025). GambleAware<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Martial enjoyed something of a mini-resurgence over the summer after he was sent out on loan to Sevilla for the second half of last season, scoring in consecutive friendlies against Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace, but his absence on Sunday has provoked serious concern from Souness.<\/p>\n

“Erik ten Hag had a good career at Ajax but managing at Ajax and managing at United are world\u2019s apart,” Souness told\u00a0<\/span>talkSPORT<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

“You\u2019re looking to make an immediate impact but how do you do that? Unless you\u2019ve got a special group of players coming through then you need to buy players.<\/p>\n

“But they\u2019ve not really recruited any game-changers. So now the manager is relying on players already there and you look at someone like Anthony Martial.<\/p>\n\n

“How many opportunities is that young man going to get to be a Manchester United player? He\u2019s proven already to me he\u2019s not for Man United.<\/p>\n

“He can\u2019t deal with the pressure of playing at Man United. It\u2019s like Paul Pogba. In both of them I see real players, I see quality that few players possess.<\/p>\n

“But it\u2019s on their terms and they pick and choose when they use it. When you play for a big club you cannot be like that.<\/p>\n

“When you are at a big club you play in a cup final every week. These players are not up for that, they\u2019re not up for the fight.”<\/p>\n

He continued: “It\u2019s no good being a great player in training or being a great player once every six or seven games. You\u2019re at a big club because you want to win things and want to be challenging all the time.<\/p>\n

“With these players, you won\u2019t. In basic terms, they are dodgy, they are not people you can rely on, end of.<\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t think you can rely on Martial anymore, not that you ever could. He\u2019s been far too hit or miss.”<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n