Monaco striker Anthony Martial has
been given permission by the French Football Federation to leave international
duty to complete his transfer to Manchester United.
Talks over a £36million deal for the
19-year-old have begun after Javier Hernandez left United for German club Bayer
Leverkusen in a £12m move.
A statement read: 'Anthony Martial
presented himself on Monday at 11am at the gathering of the French national team
at Clairefontaine. He requested the permission of Didier Deschamps to travel to
England to sign a contract with Manchester United.
'Given the exceptional
circumstances, the coach has agreed to the request of the player. Anthony
Martial left Clairefontaine on Monday at 12pm. He will return on Tuesday
morning.'
Luis Campos, Monaco's special
advisor who is responsible for transfers, previously admitted enquiries had
been made for Martial but maintained he was not for sale.
The teenager, who has been compared in style to Thierry
Henry, played for Monaco against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday night. He was
the subject of a failed £19m offer from Tottenham Hotspur earlier this summer
and has been watched by Chelsea also.
United suffered their first Barclays Premier League
defeat of the season on Sunday, as Swansea City came from a goal behind to beat
them 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium.
The performance drew a scathing assessment of the United
squad from Gary Neville, who said Louis van Gaal needs to sign a new
goalkeeper, defender and striker before the transfer deadline.
Van Gaal made the dubious claim that United 'dominated 85
minutes' of the match, which they led through Juan Mata before Andre Ayew and
Bafetimbi Gomis claimed the win for Swansea.
Sergio Romero was
again selected ahead of David de Gea in goal but, while his error helped Gomis
score the winner, Neville extended the blame by slamming the team's lack of
attacking intent
ZERO CAPS FOR FRANCE, SO WHY IS MARTIAL WORTH £36MILLION?
Anthony Martial, 19, is Monaco’s No 9 and leads the line
for the Ligue 1 club.
He made 48 appearances in all competitions last season,
scoring 12 goals and setting up five — one an assist for Dimitar Berbatov in
their 3-1 win at Arsenal in February.
Making his professional debut for Lyon in 2012 just a day
after his 17th birthday, the teenager is uncapped but has been named in the
latest France squad to face Portugal and Serbia on September 4 and 7.
The Sky Sports pundit said: 'They have not got enough
cutting edge. They have not got players who can beat players in the final
third, they don't create enough. For me they get lulled into thinking they are
playing football really well.
'They dominate possession but they don't dominate
matches. You dominate a match by scoring goals and playing at a high tempo. Win
the game and then control possession.'
Neville added: ‘They need to sort the goalkeeper
situation out. That’s a big problem. United need to sign a new striker, keep De
Gea and now that Jonny Evans has gone, ideally a centre back too, in the next
few days.’
Having allowed Robin van Persie to join Fenerbahce and
sent Radamel Falcao back to Monaco at the end of his loan deal, many expected
United to bring in a new forward.
Martial, who hit 11 goals for Leonardo Jardim's side last
season, is considered one of the most talented young forwards in
Europe. He impressed in Monaco's Champions League defeat by Valencia but
would not be cup-tied if his move to United goes ahead.
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