Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has dropped a huge hint that Anthony Martial would be staying at Old Trafford after confirming that he could be one of the starters for the Premier League opener against Leicester City.
Earlier last month, Martial’s agent Philippe Lamboley suggested that the Frenchman wants a fresh challenge away from United after being restricted of gametime whilst also failing to receive assurances of a new contract.
However, no move has materialised for the attacker ever since and £65,000-a-week ace is now actively participating with his teammates in the pre-season tour of the United States where he has looked in a joyous mood.
Speaking in a news conference, Mourinho confirmed that Martial could start alongside Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez in a three-man frontline against Leicester, considering the regulars are taking a break after World Cup duty.
“It will be important for us to work with [Juan] Mata, Alexis, Martial which we think will be the players to have in attack for the start of the season. No [Romelu] Lukaku no [Jesse] Lingard, no [Marcus] Rashford, if Alexis isn’t working with us for 10/15 days it will be very bad,” he is quoted as saying by Metro.
Martial would undoubtedly been disappointed after missing out on France’s World Cup winning squad but putting that side, he now has the opportunity to reclaim a starting spot in the United lineup.
During the previous pre-season, Martial had caught the eye of Mourinho with a number of stellar displays and the Frenchman could once more win over the Portuguese with another consistent run of performances.
At full strength, Romelu Lukaku would certainly take up the centre-forward role next term but Martial still has the opportunity to slot into the right-wing position which remains up for grabs, should he manage to adapt.
Perhaps one of Martial’s gripes is the financial disparity between him and Sanchez who is older and less effective so far for United and who has taken his place. This would say to me, “I am not wanted.” It is by no stretch of the imagination that Martial could feel this way.