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Anthony Martial's agent has hit out at Arsene Wenger for claiming he passed up on the Manchester United marksman because he saw him as a winger.

Philippe Lamboley, the 19-year-old’s representative, said of the Arsenal boss: “In football, there are those who follow players and those who buy them.”

Martial has shrugged off his £36million price tag, which could rise to a record £58million, with four goals in his first for games under Louis van Gaal.

His composure in front of goal has helped United to League wins over Liverpool and Southampton and into the 4th round of the Capital One Cup.

Wenger has previously claimed to have known all about Martial having followed him from a young age, but decided not to sign him before his move to Monaco or to United because he saw him as a winger and not a striker.

READ MORE: Martial's flying start only matched by ONE United great

(Image: Robbie Stephenson/JMP/REX)

But Lamboley said: “Anthony is a true modern centre-forward who can play a part,”

He added: “‘I am surprised by the analysis of Arsene Wenger, who has apparently been following him since he was a teenager.

“If the analysis Arsene Wenger has made is in order to justify not having signed Anthony, I accept he is a winger.

“But in football, there are those who follow players and those who buy them.”

In pictures - Capital One Cup Wednesday night goals:

Meanwhile United are facing a defensive crisis.

Van Gaal has just one fit left-footed defender in Daley Blind, with Luke Shaw out long-term and Marcos Rojo sidelined with a hamstring problem.

Blind has played every minute of United’s 10 games this season, with van Gaal admitting he would like to give his fellow Dutchman a rest.

(Image: Alex Broadway)

But with Shaw and Rojo out, van Gaal said he cannot do without Blind, with the United boss preferring a left-footed player on that side of central defence.

Van Gaal, whose side are just two points adrift of Premier League leaders and local rivals Manchester City, said: “The left-footed players, Shaw and Rojo, are injured, so I have a problem.

“We have to spare the players. Smalling and Mata have played all the minutes, Blind also.

(Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

“I have to spare these kind of players, but Blind I cannot spare because the left footed players are all injured, Rojo and Shaw.

“I have changed every player except a left-footed player, so Blind has played all the minutes.

“Smalling had also played all the minutes, so I brought him off and put Phil Jones in.”

In pictures - Manchester United 3-0 Ipswich Town:

Ashley Young, who is right-footed but has spent most of his United career playing on the left, filled in as an emergency left-back in Wednesday’s 3-0 Capital One Cup over Ipswich.

With Jonny Evans, who was able to fill in an left-back, having been sold to West Brom, van Gaal is short of left-sided options, with Young likely to continue in the full-back role for Saturday’s visit of Sunderland.

Another option for Van Gaal could be to switch Matteo Darmian to left-back and start Antonio Valencia - who featured at right-back against Ipswich - in the Italian’s usual position.