‘He felt a lack of trust’ – Inside Anthony Martial’s amazing revival after Ronaldo’s Man Utd return broke his confidence

IT was back in 2015 when Manchester United thought they had found the "next Thierry Henry", a player who could follow in the footsteps of legends like Eric Cantona, Wayne Rooney and George Best. United broke the bank to sign the then 19-year-old Anthony Martial from Monaco in a £36million deal, which included an extra £21.6m in add on clauses.

That one of those included an extra payment should he win the Ballon d'Or showed their optimism - it also made him the world's most expensive teenager at that time. A memorable debut followed that September as Martial led Man Utd to a 3-1 victory over bitter rivals Liverpool in front of the Old Trafford faithful. He scored an absolute stunner that was eerily similar to the kind of strikes scored by the Arsenal legend he was compared to.

But that bright start was not a sign of things to follow. During nine years with the Red Devils Martial amassed a disappointing 90 goals and 46 assists in 317 appearances, with only an FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League medal to show for it. The man many thought was destined to be a Man United legend ended up leaving as a free agent under a cloud last June.

Many expected that, at the age of 29, he'd seek one last big paycheck in Saudi Arabia but the Frenchman shocked the world when he opted for Greece and AEK Athens, who handed him a three-year contract worth a club record €10m (£8.3m). It's true that Martial gave up elite football for a Greek club that couldn't even make it past the Conference League qualifiers. But in its place he found something he often lacked at Old Trafford: Absolute trust.

An AEK club source told SunSport: "He felt trust from the beginning, he received a place in the starting line-up early. He's been supported by the manager and the club. He received patience. We believe the main reason (for his revival) is that he received time on the pitch, match rhythm and momentum. This is still a developing project.".

Following his own big-money arrival at Manchester United, the club went on to splash the cash on other forwards like Rasmus Hojlund (£72m), Jadon Sancho (£73m), Romelu Lukaku (£75m) and Antony (£85.5m). The return of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021 condemned him to the bottom of the pecking order behind the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.

The return of CR7 left his confidence shattered just a year after his best ever season in which he scored 23 goals and 10 assists in 48 appearances. The AEK source continued: "This guy came, that guy was signed [and] Ronaldo returned during Martial's sporadic opportunities. During his limited opportunities [Martial] was facing immense pressure to prove himself and that led to injury problems.".

Martial's time with United was marred by injury as he suffered a raft of knee, hamstring, muscle, Achilles, hip and groin problems. But his new club feel that issue was down to his lack of minutes and momentum that led to a shortness of match fitness and increased pressure to deliver.

AEK took the gamble of signing Martial after speaking to several of the forward's former United team-mates who always knew his true value. They insisted that he would deliver in Greece if he just had the manager's confidence and played on a regular basis - something he struggled with at Old Trafford.

The source explained: "Based on our research and talks with other Man Utd players, his basic problem is that he felt a lack of trust. His confidence was damaged once he realised he would struggle to find regular minutes. "One of them told us, 'Don't worry at all, once he plays and finds regular minutes he will immediately deliver. He's a fantastic guy and works very hard in training'.

"In the club's opinion, his injuries occurred because his last few appearances were very sporadic. And that affected him, it made him more prone to knocks during the small amount of time he was given. It was basically down to his limited match rhythm.

"We haven't noticed anything of concern. There's no concern regarding his training and there is nothing he needs to avoid during training. He trains properly and follows the programme just like everyone else. "His metrics were perfectly fine, as was his medical. And he became match fit very quickly. He trains normally despite the demanding programme and game style. He has no issue so far.".

Martial's AEK debut during a 1-1 home draw against rivals PAOK in October was a lot less eventful than the one he had nine years previously. But the ex-France international has gone from strength to strength since with a total of nine goals and two assists in 19 appearances across all competitions so far - and no injuries to report.

AEK manager Matias Almeyda is so confident of his ability that the general consensus is that he has yet to reach his full potential. The source added: "The fact he gets regular minutes plays a major role, and I believe there was a mentality issue. Injuries can be associated with a player's frame of mind. It's tough for a player to manage the very little amount of time they get on the pitch.