Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has confirmed he will be leaving the club after nine years when his contract expires this summer.
The Frenchman arrived at the club from Monaco back in 2015 as the most expensive teenage signing in Premier League history and despite the transfer receiving plenty of criticism from the media, he enjoyed a prolific debut season.
Scoring an iconic goal from off the bench in the derby against Liverpool on his debut and going on to notch a total of 18 goals and nine assists in his first campaign with the club at just 19, he was as instant hit with fans. Now, the best part of a decade later, ‘Tony’ Martial is set to leave United on a free.
The now 28-year-old footballer might never have quite lived up to his full potential at Old Trafford, but he was hailed by many supporters as an untapped talent, especially during his best moments, and has now issued what he admitted was an “emotional” farewell along with a video on social media.
As he wrote in the caption of his goodbye post, he began by saying: “It’s with great emotion that I write to you today to say goodbye. After nine incredible years at the club, the time has come for me to turn a new page in my career.
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“Since I arrived in 2015, I have had the immense honour of wearing this shirt and playing in front of you, the best supporters in the world! You have been an unwavering support, through the good times and the difficult. Your passion and loyalty have been a constant source of motivation for me.
“I’d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you’ve done for me. Your songs, your encouragement and your love for the club are memories that will remain engraved in my heart forever.”
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He went on to thank his teammates, coaches, technical staff and all those he met around the club over the years, insisting he was “proud” to have shared so many experiences with all of them. United are yet to issue a formal goodbye to their long-standing striker.
The number nine (and one-time number 11) enjoyed his best-ever statistical season in 2019/20, when he netted 23 times – the same season that both he and Marcus Rashford surpassed the 20-goal mark for the first time. All told, he scored a total of 90 goals over the course of 317 appearances for the club.
Here’s just a handful of those he scored in the Premier League.
However, fluctuating form, injury problems and the arrival of players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani in previous seasons saw Martial’s impact in the team continue to wane and he hasn’t worn a United shirt since their 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth back in December 2023.
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He signed off by insisting: “Manchester United will always be in my heart. This club has left its mark on my career and offered me an incredible opportunity to play in front of you. I’m leaving to take on new challenges, I’ll always be a Red Devil and I’ll continue to follow the club’s results with passion.
“Thank you again for everything, and see you soon. With all my affection, Anthony Martial”.
Tony Martial may very well score again but no longer whilst wearing the red of Man United, and he likely won’t be the only one leaving this upcoming transfer window, as talk of a clearout by co-owners INEOS has ramped up and even manager Erik ten Hag‘s future still remains uncertain.
Greater Manchester stadiums included in the bid to host the Women’s World Cup confirmed
Danny Jones
The locations for the official UK bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup have been revealed, along with the Greater Manchester football stadiums chosen for the honour.
Not exactly a ground-breaking spoiler, but the FA did make a somewhat curious choice when they shared the news.
In case you hadn’t heard the news earlier this year, our nation has officially thrown its hat into the ring for the Women’s World Cup (WWC) in 2035, with England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all set to offer up their arenas as part of the record-breaking proposal.
Naturally, a region as footy-obsessed as ours and with two of the biggest stadiums in the country was always going to be included, but as mentioned, there was a particular detail that lots of people quickly noticed following the announcement.
Yes, in a slightly bizarre but ultimately innocuous turn of events, Etihad Stadium – home of Manchester City FC – has been selected, as was the world-famous ‘Theatre of Dreams‘, the only difference being that it was listed separately from the city itself.
Instead, Man United’s iconic home turf, Old Trafford, has been listed as just that: in Trafford, specifically, as opposed to simply being listed in the same section as its sky blue counterpart.
Now, while it’s true that all 10 boroughs have their own identity, culture (not to mention some subscribing to still being part of Lancashire or even Cheshire), it did strike us and others as a bit odd to put that rather iconic and equally historic venue down as almost separate from the city.
Many would argue that one of the things Manchester is best known for around the globe is the team of Red Devils that play at that ground.
Naturally, ‘Cityzens‘ have had their fair share of fun with the post and, conversely, there’s been plenty of retorts regarding ‘supporters from Stockport’, as you would expect…
Nevertheless, we’re just glad to see the Etihad and Old Trafford continuing to cater to some of the biggest dates on the sporting calendar.
Some have actually argued that the region should have been given opportunities to host more stadiums and/or games as part of the market pitch, as the likes of both Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic’s stadiums were floated as viable or even better alternatives, capacity-wise.
Either way, with the 22 venues that have been selected for the UK’s bid for the 2035 Women’s World Cup and us Brits currently unopposed in the race to secure the tournament, the FA are going all-in for the 48-team competition, which would be “the biggest single-sport event ever staged in the UK.”
You can read more down below.
Our shared ambition: to host the largest single-sport event ever staged in the UK, and the first FIFA World Cup in this country since 1966.#AllTogetherpic.twitter.com/y6GOPEPDdG
Stockport County’s Christmas dinner in a cup returns for 2025 as part of new festive food range
Danny Jones
We can’t believe it’s rolled around again already, but with the festive period well underway and the big day just a few weeks away, Stockport County have brought back their viral ‘Xmas dinner in a cup’for 2025.
Better still, the County Courtyard has seen some new Christmas specials added to its food menu, too.
The local football club are absolutely flying in League One at the moment, having spent plenty of time at the top of the table already and still well and truly contesting those promotion/play-off spots.
If you’re a Stopfordian, that’s plenty of cause for celebration right there, but with the Christmas dinner in a cup also up for grabs once more, the holiday season literally couldn’t taste any better right now.
For those who’ve never seen it before, it’s exactly what it says on the tin – well, cup: a little Sunday dinner in a County-branded takeaway coffee cup, complete with a healthy pour of gravy and pretty much all the trimmings you could hope for.
Yes, including sprouts, because all of you who still don’t touch them need to grow up already.
Currently priced at just £4.50, not only does it contain virtually all the major food groups (barring the customary matchday pints, of course), it might just be one of the healthiest and best value-for-money bits of footy scran around – certainly in Greater Manchester, anyway.
But, as mentioned, that’s not all this year; Stockport are also serving up the new festive hot dog and even a ‘leftover Christmas curry’ in a bowl, which might even be more warming on a cold night at Edgeley Park than the Xmas dinner in a cup or clinging onto a flask of Bovril.
Anyone else craving that curry with a cheeky bit of bubble and squeak now?
It’s also worth noting that you’ll only be able to get one of those on Boxing Day, by the way, when the Hatters host Lincoln City in the league.
As for the rest of it, County fans can get their hands on this seasonal scran for the first time this year at the weekend when Dave Challinor’s side take on Barnsley at 12:30pm, and two of the three specials will then be served at home every game over the holiday period.
Speaking of random Christmas food creations, there’s another limited-time-only and potentially divisive example that we’ll also be sampling this December…
Danny Jones -
28th May 2024 
