‘Not for me’: Former Tottenham ace doesn’t want £36m star at Spurs

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Manchester United striker Anthony Martial is not the right man to take Harry Kane’s place at Tottenham Hotspur, former Spurs defender Alan Hutton tells Goal.

Is there a more frustrating forward in the whole of the Premier League than the £36 million France international?

Thierry Henry one week, Yaya Sanogo the next; Martial can leave even the very best centre-halves red faced on his day.

The only problem is, those days are few and far between, a forward signed during the Louis Van Gaal era as inconsistent as ever at the age of 25.

Martial scored a career-best 23 goals during the 2019/20 season, silencing his doubters while adapting impressively to a new-look centre-forward role under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

But while the former Monaco starlet was expected to kick on during the following campaign, he did precisely the opposite.

In 36 games, Martial found the net just seven times, losing his place to a 34-year-old Edinson Cavani.

So no wonder Hutton has his doubts about this most exasperating of forwards.

Martial has endured more highs and lows than a day out at Alton Towers during his Old Trafford career and the challenge of replacing Harry Kane – the most reliable finisher in the whole of English football – looks beyond him.

Is Anthony Martial the wrong man for Tottenham Hotspur?

“Ideally, I think you would want that experience in the Premier League, a proven goalscorer,” says Hutton, who played 66 games for the London giants between 2008 and 2011.

“Is Martial the right person? Not for me, I don’t think. I think they might look foreign – with (managing director Fabio) Paratici there, he knows those markets in Serie A. They might go that way.”

Tottenham have been linked with a pair of Serie A strikers, former Juventus chief Paratici putting his enviable contact book to good use.

But Dusan Vlahovic looks set for a £60 million move to La Liga champions Atletico Madrid instead while Lautaro Martinez is determined to extend his stay at Scudetto holders Inter Milan.