There is no denying that this week is crucial for Manchester United’s season.

Erik ten Hag’s team will play Liverpool in the FA Cup at Old Trafford; this competition is the only prize the Red Devils can still win this season.

Manchester United Premier League’s Erik Ten Hag
Fortunately, the return of Rasmus Hojlund, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Harry Maguire this week has strengthened the team.

Ten Hag and company should feel some comfort from that, but Anthony Martial will still be absent due to a groyne injury. That hasn’t always been detrimental to the Red Devils, though.

Manchester United’s Anthony Martial’s pay

In summary, injuries have hampered Martial’s stay at Manchester United more frequently than not, making the French forward unavailable on a regular basis.

However, after scoring nine goals in the 2018–19 season, the number nine was rewarded with a new contract at the beginning of 2019.

United Premier League value of Martial Ten Hag Man
His contract is scheduled to expire in the summer, having been signed for five years, but according to Capology, he receives a whopping £250,000 every week in pay.

This works out to a £13 million annual salary, which is tied for fourth highest at Manchester United behind only Casemiro, Raphael Varane, and Marcus Rashford.

United States Alejandro Garnacho Man
How much Martial makes in comparison to Hojlund

It’s easy to observe how different Hojlund and Martial have been this season, with the Dane emerging as a key figure in United’s reconstruction.

However, due to illness and groyne surgery, Martial—dubbed the “invisible” Martial by football designer Liam Canning—has only played 444 minutes in the Premier League and has missed 12 games.

Manchester United’s serhou-guirassy-anthony-martial-opinion
Ten Hag has occasionally been without a genuine number nine due to Hojlund’s injury issues this season, but as the table below shows, his impact has been outstanding when he has been available, especially in 2024.

Martial vs. Hojlund 23/24 Stats

Statistics

Hojlund

Martial

Games Played

30

19

Objectives

Thirteen

2.

Helps

2.

2.

Missed games

11

12

Weekly income

£85,000.

£250,000

Through Capology & Transfermarkt

The 21-year-old had a difficult beginning to his English career, but since scoring on Boxing Day against Aston Villa, scoring in each of his past six Premier League games, and taking home the February Player of the Month award, he has been among the league’s most productive players.

However, the former Monaco player hasn’t appeared on the pitch since the team’s 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth in December. Depending on the severity of his most recent setback, that match may be his final one with the team.

However, as the data shows, Martial still makes over three times as much as the number 11, even though he has scored 11 fewer goals this season overall and obviously gives far less of an effort than Hojlund does on the pitch.

hojlund-garnacho-premier-league Manchester United
Martial is inconsistent on the pitch and in terms of availability, therefore Sir Jim Ratcliffe and company would be better off cutting him go than signing him for the optional extra year.

Because Hojlund is expected to be the long-term solution for the striker position, Martial will probably be replaced by a dependable backup who can relieve some of the strain on the youthful attacker and serve as a rotation option.