Few Manchester United players have brought as much excitement as Anthony Martial, the Frenchman’s arrival from AS Monaco in the summer of 2015.
The Red Devils reportedly paid £36 million for the player, a deal that broke the record for the most expensive teenager in football history at the time.
His debut goal, coming off the bench against Liverpool at Old Trafford, further excited the fan base, with many expecting the forward to reach cult hero status in Manchester.
Martial made a total of 317 appearances over nine years at United, going on to find the back of the net 90 times.
His days at the club will no doubt be fondly remembered, but the hierarchy will have the opportunity to acquire similar talent when the window opens this summer.
Anthony Martial’s Manchester United record | |
|---|---|
statistics | tally |
matches played | 317 |
Play time (minutes) | 19739 |
Number of points scored | 90 |
assist | 46 |
Trophies won | 4 |
price paid | £36m |
Manchester United prepare £100m move for French sensation
In recent weeks, United have been linked with a number of attacking talent acquisitions to boost their chances of winning the Premier League in 2026/27.
RB Leipzig star Yann Diomande is just one player who has been making headlines this season, having scored 12 goals in his debut season in the Bundesliga.
Liverpool are also currently participating in the race to sign the Ivory Coast international, and there is a possibility that a transfer battle could break out to sign the 19-year-old.
But Diomande is not the only young attacker currently attracting United’s attention, with Bournemouth star Eli Crupi Junior also a star attracting attention from the hierarchy.
According to I News, the Red Devils are preparing for a summer move for the French star, who has already scored 12 goals in 30 Premier League games this season.
The report also states that the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal will be closely monitoring the 19-year-old’s development ahead of the summer transfer window.
A £100m price tag has recently been mooted for the youngster’s signature, but other reports suggest the Cherries have no intention of allowing a sale.
Why Crupi will be Manchester United’s next marshal
Despite the hype surrounding the signing of Martial, there is no denying that the Frenchman ultimately lived up to the expectations of his supporters.
He was also plagued by injuries during his time at Old Trafford, with the 30-year-old suffering 21 injuries in nine years at Manchester.
As a result, he often played only to regain fitness, and as a result, the forward who appeared for the Red Devils was only able to score a goal every 3.6 games.
However, his spells will always be fondly remembered by supporters, and the signing of Crupi this summer could secure the next version of the fan favorite.
Like Martial, the teenager had an excellent start to his professional career, going on to score 40 goals in his first 96 games for Bournemouth and Lorient.
Hailed by GOAL as ‘the next Mbappe’, it is perhaps no surprise that he has been taken to the Premier League like a duck to water this season despite his young age, and the youngster is thought to have a big future ahead of him in England.
United’s interest in the Cherries star could see Crupi follow in the footsteps of his compatriot, who joined the Red Devils on a big-money deal as a teenager, to land another Martial.
During the 2025/26 season, he has scored 12 goals from just 20 shots on target, a record that is the second best of any striker in the English First Division this season.
Most goals in a season by a teenager in the Premier League | |
|---|---|
player | tally |
Robbie Fowler | twenty five |
michael owen | 18 |
Romelu Lukaku | 17 |
Nicholas Anelka | 17 |
wayne rooney | 16 |
ryan giggs | 13 |
In other words, Crupi Jr. | 12 |
robbie keene | 12 |
He has shot 47% on target this season, which only reaffirms his clinical nature when he has the ball inside the final third of the pitch.
The Cherries star, described by James Hill as “one of the best players in the world”, has completed 49% of his dribbles this season and won the ball in the final third 1.2 times per 90 times.
The latter of the aforementioned stats ranks him in the top 2% of forwards in the division, which also makes him a huge asset for the Red Devils.
As with Martial, spending £100m on Crupi would be a big risk for United, but such a move could easily set the club up for future success at Old Trafford.
He has already shown that he can thrive in England’s top flight, but he will only get better with experience, with better talent around him.
A deal with Manchester would provide the youngster with just that, while also giving him the chance to build on his compatriot’s legacy at the Theater of Dreams.
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