The agent representing Anthony Martial has confirmed that the French striker wants to leave Manchester United when the transfer window opens next month.
Martial arrived to Old Trafford in the summer of 2015 as one of the hottest young prospects in the game. In fact, he won the Golden Boy award that year. Louis van Gaal, the United manager at the time, said he was bringing this particular player as a part of his plans for the long-term future of the club, not just to play under his tutorship.
Fast forward six years, and it’s quite obvious that the plan has gone completely wrong. Still only 26, Martial is forced to seek another home if wants to play on a regular basis.
“Anthony wishes to leave the club in January”, his agent Philippe Lamboley told Sky Sports.
“He just needs to play. He doesn’t want to stay in January and I will speak to the club soon.”
So what went wrong?
Well, for one thing, Van Gaal didn’t last long in the Old Trafford dugout and he was replaced only a year later by Jose Mourinho. Known for his habit of showing his players the so-called ‘tough love’ approach, the Portuguese tactician wasn’t too impressed with Martial and the forward faded in his plans. Martial may have thought his luck would change when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Mourinho, but it didn’t. And now, this latest development, so soon after the sacking of Solskjaer and the appointment of Ralf Rangnick, indicates that the problem still hasn’t been resolved and Martial’s status at the club hasn’t improved.
United are likely to demand a relatively high fee for Martial, despite the fact that he has only started twice in the Premier League so far this season. In all competitions, he has made 10 appearances and scored once.
Martial’s contract does not expire before the summer of 2024, and the club have the option to extend it by another year. He has been linked with Barcelona and Juventus in recent months.
