Anthony Martial is looking to leave Manchester United during the January transfer window, the French forward’s agent has revealed, with regular game time being sought by a man that has been frozen out at Old Trafford.
The 26-year-old has fallen down the pecking order with the Premier League heavyweights, with just two top-flight starts for the Red Devils taken in this season.
With five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line and Edinson Cavani providing an experienced alternative in a central striking berth, Martial is ready to take on a new challenge elsewhere.
What has been said?
Philippe Lamboley, executive director of USFA Management, told Sky Sports News: “Anthony wishes to leave the club in January.
“He just needs to play. He doesn’t want to stay in January and I will speak to the club soon.”
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The bigger picture
Martial joined United from Monaco in September 2015, becoming the most expensive teenager in world football at the time.
A bright start was enjoyed to life in England, as he netted on his debut against Liverpool and registered 17 goals across his debut campaign.
Productivity started to dip from that point, though, with Martial often asked to fill a wide attacking role rather than a spot down the middle.
He eventually got his wish in 2019 when, following the departure of Romelu Lukaku to Inter, he was handed the No.9 shirt at Old Trafford for a second time – having initially given it up to Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2016.
Martial found the target on 23 occasions with that shirt on his back, with a new personal best recorded, but he started to slip back out of favour again.
Ronaldo’s return to English football in the summer of 2021 has proved to be the final straw for the ambitious Frenchman, with a lack of minutes leading him to start exploring other options.
Martial does still have three years left to run on his current contract, which means that United will be able to demand a sizeable fee from any suitors.