Martial shows signing youngsters is tricky

Daniel Levy had a meeting with his opposite number in Monaco about signing some of their young players and we made an effort to sign Anthony Martial, a highly thought of young forward.

The 21-year-old (22 in December) joined Manchester United in a deal that could rise to £58 million and was given a £95,000-a-week contract.

I have written before how too much money too young can make a youngster think he has made it and then he stops trying to improve. His mindset changes, another reason why you have to find out as much as you can about a player's mentality and his character. A player who takes on that mindset is of no use at all, look at Tom Carroll. He has had all the time in the world to practice and improve his game, but he didn't, he never got any better. Memphis Depay is another example of a player with a wrong attitude.

Anthony Martial has split with his girlfriend, Samantha Jacquelinet, the mother of his child and she told the Sun on Sunday that he had changed from the person he was at Monaco. Now he has women throwing themselves at him and has offered his ex just £3,000-a-moth from the £420,000 he earns.

“He was thrust into the limelight and it all just exploded. Young girls were throwing themselves at him. He had never looked at another girl before we moved and I’d never once doubted him, so the fact he’d cheated shook me to the core. Anthony told me I was a grandma — that I didn’t like going out and he didn’t love me anymore. 

“I was told United was a family club but off the pitch he didn’t get any guidance. Manchester United have ruined my life. 

“Neither of us were prepared for it at all. Everywhere we went people would stop Anthony for pictures and his Instagram followers rocketed to more than two million. 

“Other big clubs like to offer support to players in managing their social media but we were offered nothing. 

“He was getting a dozen pictures a day on Instagram from girls. They sent sexy photos begging him to get in touch. These girls don’t care about a player’s family or the woman he’s with, they want the designer handbags, shoes and media attention that seeing a footballer brings. 

“When we split I tried to work things out. He said I only wanted him for his money. But he was so stingy. Anthony told me he rent a house for me. I found one outside Paris, but when I got the keys he said he was only going to give me £3,000 a month. He earns £420,000 every month.

“Anthony has changed completely from the modest, shy and loving young man I met in Monaco and I firmly believe if we’d stayed there then we would still be together.”