Manchester United striker Anthony Martial appears to be facing two major issues that could leave him stranded at Old Trafford. The France international was tipped for a move during the January transfer window after dropping the pecking order at the club.
Martial has been hampered by injuries this season and has struggled for game time.
The player has only played twice in the Premier League and once in the Champions League, with his appearance in September’s Carabao Cup defeat by West Ham being the only time he has played the full 90 minutes this season.
He has flattered himself to deceive when asked and has only hit the back of the net once all season.
Last week, Martial’s agent Philippe Lamboley admitted his client no longer wanted to be a United player.
“Anthony wants to leave the club in January,” Lamboley said. “He just has to play. He doesn’t want to stay in January and I will speak to the club soon.”
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And unless United are willing to compromise, Martial could be forced to stay at Old Trafford and warm up the bench at least until the summer.
Martial got an enthusiastic welcome in north-west Monaco after United initially paid £36million to make him what was then the most expensive teenager in history.
He has excelled at times, scoring 17 goals in 32 Premier League games in the 2019/20 season.
But he hasn’t reached the heights originally expected of him and now finds himself behind a string of other United forwards to earn a place in the team.
Lamboley’s statement last week did not have the desired effect and there has reportedly been no outpouring of interest in signing the forward.
And United boss Ralf Rangnick has refused to be drawn into the discussion about Martial’s future after the comments.
“I don’t communicate with agents through the media or the press,” Rangnick said this week.
“The player hasn’t spoken to me or us about it. To be honest, what his agent said in the media isn’t that interesting.”
