Anthony Martial has rubbished reports suggesting he has a strained relationship with Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho.
Martial has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford since last season, after Mourinho decided to drop him from the starting line-up in favor of Marcus Rashford despite the Frenchman’s stunning form.
The arrival of Alexis Sanchez in January did not help his cause either, and his lack of appearances ended up costing him a place in France’s World Cup squad, and ultimately, a World Cup winner’s medal given the fact that Les Bleus ended up winning the tournament in Russia.
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It started to put things into perspective for the youngster, who decided that enough was enough and he might as well leave if things aren’t going to get better. Earlier in the summer, his agent spoke openly about how Martial had decided that he wanted to leave the club and the only reason he hadn’t already asked for a transfer was down to the incredible support of the United fans.
Things only got worse during pre-season, when the 22-year-old’s girlfriend gave birth and he had to leave the club’s tour of America to be there to support her. He did inform the club of his departure but left Mourinho clueless as to when he would return. Much to the frustration of the United boss, he missed the rest of the tour.
Mourinho made his displeasure very clear by openly slating Martial in a press conference, and when the Frenchman did return, he was slapped with a hefty fine. It looked set to be the end of the road for him at United.
However, things have turned out pretty differently so far this season. Sanchez’s poor recent form saw fans demand in numbers that Martial be reinstated into the starting line-up, and they haven’t been disappointed in the slightest.
The striker has scored 4 goals in 9 appearances so far this season, three of which were match saving goals for United. A superb finish to bring his side back on level terms after falling 2-0 to Newcastle before the international break was followed by two goals against Chelsea to first bring his side level and then put them in the lead at Stamford Bridge.
His magnificent performance at Chelsea’s home ground wasn’t just lauded by the fans, but Mourinho himself ran on to the pitch and patted him on the back before giving him a warm embrace after bringing him off for Andreas Pereira.
After the game, Martial attempted to put an end to reports of a fallout between himself and the United boss, and as quoted by the Daily Mail, said:
"‘Come on – things were not tense between us to begin with.‘We have a player-coach relationship and I hope that we will continue like that and bring Manchester United as much as possible.’"
Martial also revealed his disappointment at failing to hold on to the lead as Chelsea equalized in the dying seconds of the game, but hopes to now help his side continue their recent return to form with a solid performance against Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday. He added:
"‘We were not doing well,’ he said. ‘However, we worked hard and this sort of match enabled us to show that we are a good team.‘We want to continue with another good game against Juventus on Tuesday.‘[The goals] have done me the world of good. However, ultimately, I am disappointed. We deserved to win but we shipped the goal in the last minute and it cost us.’"
Recent reports have suggested that a new and improved long-term contract could be offered to him, but remains to be seen as to whether he will sign a new deal or force a move away from the club.