Anthony Martial has told Ralf Rangnick he wants to leave Manchester United but there have been no offers for the forward thus far.
The Frenchman wants a January exit to secure more playing time and while Rangnick understands why his player wants to leave, it is not confirmed that he will get his wish.
Sevilla are one of a number of clubs who are believed to be interested in the 26-year-old, but GOAL understands United have not yet received any bids for the forward.
What has been said?
Martial’s agent, Philippe Lamboley, said in an interview a couple of weeks ago that his client wanted to leave.
Rangnick has now confirmed the representative's information, with Martial having approached the interim boss to explain his intentions.
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“We spoke at length. He explained to me he’s been at Manchester United now for the last seven years and he feels it’s the right time for a change, to go somewhere else,” Rangnick said.
“I think in a way this is understandable. I could follow his thoughts, but on the other hand it’s also important to see the situation of the club. We have Covid times, we have three competitions in which we still have high ambitions and want to be as successful as we can be.
“[Any movement] should not only be in the interest of the player, it should also be in the interest of the club. So far, as far as I know, there has been no offer from any other club and as long as this is the case he will stay.”
How many times has Martial played this season?
Martial has made just 10 appearances across all competitions this season and only started twice in the league.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival has pushed him further down the pecking order at Old Trafford and, given Martial has scored just one goal this season, he is highly unlikely to be pushing the Portugal international out of the starting XI.
He had his best season at United in 2019-20, where he scored 23 goals in all competitions, but has struggled for consistency during his six-and-a-half years at the club.
What else was said?
United face Newcastle on Monday having had their last two games cancelled due to a Covid outbreak and the German manager admitted players’ vaccination status could be considered when bringing new faces to the club.
“I think it could be a consideration and I fully understand what Jurgen [Klopp] said, but it also depends if you want to sign a player and risk him not being available. This is an issue the clubs seriously have to think about,” Rangnick said.
“If you sign a player knowing from the very first day that he has not been vaccinated, you have to be aware that he might not be available - not only for 10 days, but this could happen regularly in Covid times.
“You had the example of Joshua Kimmich, who was extremely hesitant at the beginning and I think in the meantime he has realised it might be a good idea to get vaccinated. He caught Covid and he still has some problems with his lungs.
“Hopefully he’ll be back after Christmas in the new year at full strength and can play again for Bayern Munich. I think this is an issue where everybody can and should have his free will, but I think in football, especially at this level we are playing at, we need to try to convince our players to get vaccinated.
“And to be honest, I don’t know which of our players have had two or three vaccinations. This is a question that only our medical department could answer, but I know from our medical department that our ratio of vaccinated players is above the average of the Premier League.”
