According to reports from Mirror Football this afternoon, Champions League legend Zinedine Zidane has ‘heaped praise’ on Manchester United star Anthony Martial.
The 19 year-old’s £36million move to Old Trafford on summer deadline day certainly caused controversy.
French journalist Philippe Auclair claimed United’s monolithic bid had left ‘people speechless in France‘ and there was a similar reaction here in England – especially after it was revealed the Red Devils could eventually pay a staggering £58million through a series of performance-related add-ons, including winning the Ballon d’Or.
But the France international, dubbed ‘the new Thierry Henry’, has enjoyed a fantastic start to his United career, beginning with an Henry-esque debut goal against Liverpool. He’s gone on to net five times in ten appearances across all competitions.
And according to Mirror Football, Champions League legend Zinedine Zidane – who scored in the tournament’s 2002 final to clinch the European title for Real Madrid – has heaped praise on Martial following his countryman’s impressive form.
He told ShortList magazine; “Thierry Henry is one of the greats, it’s not fair to put that pressure on the kid. But it’s obvious he is full of ability and confidence, so it looks good for the future.”
Zidane then added in regards too Martial’s price-tag; “People went crazy when Juventus paid all that money for Gianluigi Buffon in 2001 – how could a goalkeeper be worth that much? Who can look now and say Buffon was anything other than one of the greatest buys ever? It’s the same with Ronaldo – after all the goals, and all the trophies, who mentions the fee now?”