Martial Reveals What Makes United Special

Anthony Martial feels the supporters make Manchester United a special club to be part of and fans singing his name spurs him on during matches. 

The Frenchman immediately endeared himself to the Old Trafford faithful with a stunning solo goal against fierce rivals Liverpool in front of the Stretford End on his debut in September 2015 and remains a firm favourite among the Reds’ passionate patrons. 

Re-affirming his commitment to the cause, Martial recently spoke about his love for United and one of the main reasons for this, he says, is the fans.

In an interview with Inside United, the 21-year-old said: “For me, what’s really special here is the supporters. They’ve been really outstanding with me. I think that’s what goes a long way to making me feel at home and at ease, and makes me really keen to stay here at the club.”

Martial started his career at Lyon before moving to Monaco, where his undoubted talent shone through during his two-year stay, but he believes United’s loyal and global fan base are much more encouraging than spectators in his home country.

“In France, even if you’re one of the best players around, they might begin to boo and jeer you if you go a couple of games without scoring. But here it’s just the opposite, they’ll try to cheer you on so you might be able to score, and so then you grow in confidence.

“I think it’s just a different mentality. That’s why I like the fans here so much.”

Whether it be on the street, on social media or on a match day, Martial has received unwavering support from United fans, who have even adopted their own chant “Tony Martial came from France” which is sung from the terraces to give their vocal backing to the forward. 

It’s something Martial is appreciative of and uses as motivation to go the extra mile on the pitch for the Reds. 

When asked if he becomes aware of the fans singing the chant, he said: “Yes, it’s always nice to hear that song. It really pushes you to do even better, it really makes you want to give everything you’ve got to not let those fans down in any way.

“I honestly think that every time they sing it, I always feel just as happy as the first time I heard it.

“I do get messages sent to me by lots of fans and I try to reply to them from time to time. I don’t go on social media that often, though I do try to respond now and again. And in the street, there are always those who shout things like ‘Keep going!’ and ‘I hope you score!’, nice messages of encouragement. It always does you good to hear them.”