Anthony Martial’s demise has been a low point in an otherwise promising season for Manchester United.
The Frenchman was among United’s best players last season. He scored 17 goals in all competitions and looked to be a great purchase even at the expensive fee of £36 million, potential rising to £58m.
But Martial has failed to kick on from his debut campaign, and has instead regressed. He’s played just 556 out of a possible 1,620 minutes of Premier League action and hasn’t played a full game since November 3.
Martial has been forced to watch Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard rise above him in the pecking order, prompting rumours that he might leave Old Trafford in the January window.
Days before Christmas, the Telegraph reported that West Ham United were planning an ambitious loan move for the 21-year-old. Meanwhile, his agent, Philippe Lamboley claimed on Wednesday that Sevilla had expressed their interest.
“We are studying the Sevilla option in detail,” Lamboley told Spanish radio station ABCdeSevilla, via Sky Sports.
“Sevilla are a very good club, are in a good position in La Liga, play in the Champions League and have a great coach. That’s all I can tell you.”
Lamboley may simply have been forcing United to take action, and it appears as if they have.
According to BBC Sport reporter Simon Stone, Jose Mourinho has no intention of letting Martial leave – on loan or permanently.
It will come as welcome news to United supporters who enjoyed Martial’s breakout debut season in the Premier League. Who can forget that stunning goal on his debut against Liverpool, where Martial looked incredibly similar to Thierry Henry?
Martial scored four goals in his first four games for United, prompting Alex Ferguson to admit the forward “can be anything”.
But United’s current manager has a sterner message for the France international. Mourinho’s system doesn’t play to Martial’s strengths – he won’t be receiving the ball in space as much as he did last season – and so the Portuguese manager wants the former Monaco man to adjust.
“Anthony is very, very young,” Mourinho said, per Sky Sports. “People forget that and last season Manchester United played completely differently. He was basically playing up front.
“The team had lots of passive ball possession, just waiting to put it into space for Anthony to go and score a goal. This season is more difficult. He needs a little bit of time to improve.”
Based on Stone’s report, Mourinho is willing to give Martial the time he needs.