Anthony Martial’s representatives are unhappy with the winger’s situation at Old Trafford, according to reports.
According to French publication SFR Sport, the Frenchman’s entourage are fuming at Mourinho’s treatment of the winger. Martial was dropped from Manchester United’s squad to face Stoke last night and apparently no explanation was offered by Jose Mourinho, which they claim has incensed the winger’s representatives.
They state that Martial is not carrying an injury, and seeing as he was also substituted off during United’s draw with Liverpool, he is growing increasingly frustrated at his lack of game time at Old Trafford.
After signing from Monaco last summer for a fee that could rise to £57.6 million, Martial had a fine debut season under Louis van Gaal. The young forward scored 17 goals in 49 appearances, and ended the season as United’s top scorer.
However this season has been a very different story. The Frenchman has managed only 13 appearances in the league – four of which have come as a substitute – and 21 appearances across all competitions. He has scored seven goals and picked up three assists in those appearances.
Those are still very good numbers considering a lot of them were substitute appearances, and the fact that Martial is still only 21 years old, but he has still not managed to fully convince Mourinho that he is deserving of a starting position every week.
Martial expressed his annoyance at being left on the bench earlier in the season, but did say that he had to accept his situation. However things have not improved since then. He was recently linked with a move to Sevilla, with his agent Philippe Lamboley even confirming that the Frenchman was considering a move to the Spanish side.
Martial has struggled to break into the side given the number of attacking players Mourinho has at his disposal. The Frenchman was utilised as a central striker last season, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s brilliance in that role means there is no chance he will be displaced anytime soon.
Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Ashley Young, Juan Mata and even Wayne Rooney are competing with Martial for the left wing position, and it is clear that he has a tough time on his hands convincing Mourinho that he is the rightful owner of that spot, despite some good performances this season.
Martial may be looking at his options, but it seems unlikely that United will be willing to sell him given both his talent and his age, as well as the fact that Dutch winger Memphis Depay was just sold to Lyon.
Despite Mourinho’s insistence that players won’t be sent out on loan in this window, should Martial and his representatives feel increasingly aggrieved at the situation, that may just represent the best solution for both parties.
