Within a fortnight of putting pen to paper, the young Frenchman had Old Trafford in his thrall as he waltzed past Liverpool's Martin Skrtel on his debut at the Theatre of Dreams and arrowed a shot into the far corner in front of the Stretford End.

What a way to announce yourself at the Theatre of Dreams!

Injuries have dogged Martial's career

What should've been the start of a hugely successful career in the Red half of Manchester was actually one of the high points of a largely disappointing spell, which still lasted for the best part of nine years before he left the club permanently.

A loan spell at Sevilla in 2022 was interrupted by the injuries that have dogged his career, and he managed just one goal and one assist in 12 appearances for the Andalusians as a result.

Indeed, had he not been so injury-prone - over 40 separate problems during his time at United - there's every reason to believe that he might've been one of the club's recent success stories.

Since leaving them permanently, Martial has plied his trade with Greek outfit AEK Athens and Liga MX side Monterrey, with both moves again not really working out as the player would've hoped.

One goal in 20 games at Monterrey

In 24 appearances for AEK, the striker scored nine goals and provided one assist, whilst at Monterrey, he bagged one goal and three assists in 20 games.

With the greatest respect, that's hardly the output of a top-level front man, but that hasn't stopped Martial, now a free agent, wanting to seek a way back into the Premier League.

After mutually terminating his two-year contract at Monterrey in June, there was still the best part of two and a half months of the transfer window for any interested parties to make an approach for the player.

The fact that no one did should speak volumes, and the silence was indeed deafening.

A number of Premier League clubs have been approached

However, there are now reports that, perhaps, David Moyes may take a chance on Martial at Everton, as well as intermediaries for the player approaching Leeds United, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Newcastle United, Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur.

It isn't clear at this stage if any of those clubs would be willing to offer the player any sort of deal, whether that be pay-as-you-play or otherwise, but as a free agent who can sign outside of the transfer window, he does offer a cheap alternative.

Martial will be 31 in three months, and whilst that doesn't mean he's over the hill by any means, he has passed his supposed peak years as a player, and any potentially interested party will also want to factor that in before making any kind of commitment.

Everton's need is probably the most acute after their deadline-day issue with Folarin Balogun's failed move. 

Everton need cover in attack

The Toffees now approach the next few months with only Thierno Barry as an experienced front man, so even if Martial isn't their long-term answer, he may be able to provide cover in Everton's hour of need.

Clearly, the issue for Moyes or anyone else is the lack of output from the player over the last few seasons, particularly in leagues that are inferior to the English top-flight.

In that respect, one can understand why Premier League clubs might be reticent to take a gamble, even taking into account that there is no transfer fee involved.

Furthermore, Martial's match fitness will have taken a hit, so whichever club decides to give him the once-over will also realise it will probably be a few weeks before they see the best of him - and the best might not be to the level which clubs in England expect.

Like Jesse Lingard, Federico Macheda and others before him, he may find that his time at United was the pinnacle of his time spent on a football pitch, and at this point of his career, he needs to drop even further down the footballing scale in order to get regular minutes.

Lingard has ended up at Corinthians after a stint in South Korea, whilst Macheda is still playing at the age of 35, but now at his 12th club, Greek side Asteras Tripolis, since leaving United. 

Maybe Martial needs to be more realistic about his aims, or perhaps he might just strike it lucky in England for one last hurrah.