Louis van Gaal admits he paid 'ridiculous amount' for Anthony Martial

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal acknowledged that he paid a very high amount of money to lure Anthony Martial away from AS Monaco.

While the United boss said the purchase of Martial was made with the future of the club in mind, he also voiced his concerns over the £36-million price tag paid for the 19-year-old forward.

However, paying premium prices for unproven talent is a problem United has faced for years, in his opinion. Van Gaal suspects that his team is routinely forced to pay inflated prices for players because of the team's prestige and reputation for being a money-making machine.

"It was a ridiculous amount of money, but it's the crazy world we are in," Van Gaal told reporters as he sat alongside assistant coach Ryan Giggs.

"United are routinely quoted £10 million more for a player but I have not bought Martial for me. I have bought him for the next manager of Manchester United."

United's deal with Monaco could see the price for Martial rise to £58 million if specific clauses in the agreement are achieved.