Manchester United’s Anthony Martial has rejected comparisons with the former France striker Thierry Henry and insisted he still has a lot to prove despite his blistering start to life at Old Trafford.
Martial, who is in Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the friendlies against Armenia and Denmark, has scored three times in the Premier League since completing his move from Monaco for an initial £36m.
That start has prompted comparisons with Henry, another former Monaco striker who ended up becoming Arsenal’s record goalscorer. But Martial, who made his debut for France last month, insists they “do not have the same characteristics”.
“I know this is a very great player who is a legend in England,” Martial told French TV channel BFM. “I do not think we have the same characteristics. Thierry Henry is Thierry Henry. I still have everything to prove. By continuing to work, I will try to reach his level but I am still very far off.”
Martial also lifted the lid on the process which brought him to England on the final day of the transfer window, with the teenager revealing he needed his mother to translate a personal phone call from the United manager, Louis van Gaal.
“Basically, I was told ‘untransferable’ so I thought staying in Monaco,” he said. “When I knew about the offer, I did not hesitate a second and it was done quickly. I really wanted to continue to play in the Champions League. Van Gaal called me and spoke to my mother who did the translation. When I arrived in Manchester I met him, we discussed at length and it was done quickly.”
Of his hefty transfer fee, which could reach a reported £58m if all of the clauses are met, Martial added: “It did not bother me too much. It was more my family with all that was written in the newspapers and what was said. I was just in a hurry to go to Manchester and play football.
“I try to ignore it all. I stay in my bubble, I concentrate on the football, I work and I try to learn English as quickly as possible.”