What to know about the new 'Thierry Henry' Anthony Martial that Man United are pursuing

The Daily Mail revealed that Man United has asked to buy AS Monaco striker Anthony Martial for 50 million euros, the player known as "the new Thierry Henry" in France.

So who is Martial? Why is he so valuable?

About Martial

If anyone has been paying attention to French football recently, they will surely see that they have many bright young talents who are highly sought after in Europe. Names such as Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane, Nabil Fekir or Alexandre Lacazette... and Anthony Martial is no exception.

Martial started his career at CO Les Ulis, the boyhood club of the legendary Thierry Henry. At the age of 14, he was signed by the famous Olympique Lyonnais. In the 2012-13 season, Martial debuted for Lyon's first team in the Europa League before joining AS Monaco for €5 million that summer, not a small fee for a young player in the famously frugal Ligue 1.

Martial is dubbed the "new Henry"

In his first season at the Principality, Martial was not given many opportunities by coach Ranieri. Therefore, he only had 12 appearances in Ligue 1 and scored 2 goals. But the next season was a different story, when coach Leonardo Jardim replaced the Italian "Welder".

The 19-year-old has begun to show his ability, especially in the Champions League, where AS Monaco surprisingly advanced to the quarter-finals. Arsenal fans will surely remember this name as he played very well in both matches, contributing significantly to the overall victory.

At the end of the 2014-15 season, Martial scored 12 goals in all competitions, more than any other teammate.

Recently, this 19-year-old player was called up by coach Didier Deschamps to the French national team to prepare for two friendly matches with Portugal and Serbia on September 4 and 7.

Strengths

Having played for the same boyhood club as Thierry Henry, it is understandable that he is compared to the French legend. However, Martial has very similar skills to the former Monaco striker.

Martial played very well in the match at Emirates Stadium last season.

Explosive playing style combined with impressive speed are the most recognizable features of this young star. In addition, Martial also shows impressive dribbling and ball control ability. These factors always make opposing defenses suffer with the 19-year-old player.

However, Martial is not selfish in his team's attacks. He has often provided assists for his teammates. In addition to the striker position, Martial can also play well on both wings, something quite similar to Henry or Lacazette.

Midfielder Joao Moutinho once described Martial as follows: "Mentally, he is a great player. He can absolutely make a big impact both domestically and internationally."

Coach Claudio Ranieri shared: "He has the potential to become a world star, the potential to have a glorious career. He is young but mentally very stable."

Weaknesses

Despite his incredible pace, Martial lacks power. The teenage striker has struggled against taller centre-backs and is good at playing high balls. This is something Martial needs to improve if he wants to reach stardom.

He needs to work on his fitness and stamina. In the 35 games Martial played last season, he only played the full 90 minutes in three. He always ran out of steam towards the end of the game and was often substituted.

According to TT&VH