IS HE A STAR PLAYER?”: THIBAUT COURTOIS TAKES A SWIPE AT MANCHESTER UNITED STAR

 

Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid has criticized Anthony Martial of Manchester United, wondering whether the Frenchman is a star player.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a snarky remark about Manchester United and France winger Anthony Martial at Pickx Sport's 7 Second Challenge, as reported by The Sun.

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Courtois and his Belgium teammate Jan Vertonghen were taking part in the aforementioned 7 Second Challenge, in which the former Chelsea goalkeeper was challenged to name some of the biggest talents who lost out on the UEFA Euro 2020 this summer.

Courtois, on the other hand, struggled to name the players, responding with only Sergio Ramos, his former Real Madrid captain. With the seven-second timer running out, Vertonghen began a list of the stars who had not competed in this year's European Championships.

The Benfica defender named Erling Haaland, Virgil van Dijk, Jan Oblak, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Anthony Martial, at which point Courtois cut him off and said, "Martial?" Is he a superstar?”

Courtois' sarcastic remark comes after another difficult season for Martial at Manchester United. The 24-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance since joining the Red Devils from AS Monaco in 2015, but he has lacked consistency in his game.

Things were expected to improve for him after a fantastic 2019/20 season in which he finished as the club's top scorer. Martial, on the other hand, struggled to create an impact for Manchester United on a consistent basis, sliding below Edinson Cavani in the pecking order.

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In the second half of the season, the French forward had an injury that forced him to miss a number of games, and he also failed to make the France national team for UEFA Euro 2020. With Manchester United expected to sign Jadon Sancho this summer, Martial's future at Old Trafford has been called into question.

 

Nonetheless, the remarks from Courtois were uncalled for. The Belgian himself has endured tough times at Real Madrid in the past and his comments are in a bad taste. As for Martial, it will be interesting to see if he can turn his fortunes around at Manchester United.