Yuvraj Singh
Manchester United forward Anthony Martial explains ‘Panenka’ penalty challenge
Speaking to United Daily (h/t Manchester Evening News), Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has explained his decision behind the ‘Panenka’ penalty against Cadiz in the first pre-season friendly.
Although United lost the game 4-2 with many academy players starting the game against a proper first XI of a La Liga side, there were some bright moments to take out from the game such as the performance of youngster Kobbie Mainoo as well as the cheeky penalty kick scored by Martial.
When asked about his decision to take the Panenka, the French forward explains that it was his teammates which were the main factor behind it.
“I’ve executed quite a few during training and people have always said: ‘Well, you’re not going to do that during a match.
So I said: ‘Well, yes I am’, and then the chance arose and I took it and I scored. It all depends [on my technique]. Sometimes, I can wait. Sometimes, well it just depends how I decide to take the penalty.”
Many believed that Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi’s deciding Panenka kick to knock Spain out of the FIFA World Cup 2022 could be one of the reasons behind it but it seems it was just peer pressure in the end from his fellow teammates.
Martial is one of those players of the current United set-up which divides the opinions of many. Signed by Louis Van Gaal and touted as one of the best youngsters in Europe, the forward could not have dreamt of a better start than the game against Liverpool where he truly announced himself on the big stage.
However, post the season and the sacking of Van Gaal put a big curb on the player’s development with new manager Jose Mourinho not particularly keen to use the Frenchman.
It was only after the Portuguese’s sacking that Martial was given another lease of life under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and was particularly impressive in the Norwegian’s first full season in charge where he played as a number nine and scored an overall of 23 goals in all competitions.
However, as seen in the past, he could not carry on the momentum and had a very poor next season and was subsequently sent to Sevilla on loan with many conceding that we had seen the last of Martial in a United jersey.
Erik ten Hag’s appointment coinciding with the fact that Sevilla chose to decline the option to buy him on a permanent deal worked well for United as well as Martial as he was thoroughly impressive in the pre-season and injuries hampered his progress.
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Now with Cristiano Ronaldo gone, for the time being, Martial is the only out-and-out forward available to Ten Hag and if he is able to keep his fitness and deliver good performances, it is only his position to lose.
