Sidney Sladen
Anthony Martial appears to have put all the transfer rumours to bed after admitting that he loves Manchester United and their fans.
Martial was along with Jose Mourinho to face the press ahead of the Europa League clash and when he was asked about his future, he said (Daily Express),
“I love this club, I love Manchester United. I love the Manchester United fans, they give me a lot of joy and I really enjoy having them backing me. I try to be as good as possible to make them happy, to satisfy them. What I want is to stay at this club for as long as possible.”
He was also asked about his form and involvement on the pitch and the young striker said,
“Last year, I played a lot, I had the chance to play a lot of games back to back, and now I enjoy playing and I have to wait. We have a good group with many players so the manager [Jose Mourinho] tries to freshen the team in each game. We just need to ready to be on the pitch each time.”
When asked about his desire to improve as a player, he replied,
“I work a lot. I work very hard. I am surrounded by great players. I try to learn in each training session and I am very lucky for that. I feel very fortunate to train and play with those players. I try to keep focused, do my best and I am sure next season will be even better.”
The player also said that he does not have any issues in playing on the wings, as long as he is on the pitch, playing football. He continued,
“I started as a centre-forward but, even at AS Monaco, I sometimes played as a winger and I got used to this role on the pitch. So I enjoy it and, as long as I am on the pitch, I enjoy it. So the most important thing is to be on the pitch.”
Martial has had to settle for a place on the left-wing after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s exploits this season. However, the young French striker seems happy as long as he gets to play, which he deems more important than the position in which he gets to play.
The French youngster is known to be a quiet lad and he gives an impression that he is a disciplined and confident player off the pitch. His attitude has been praised by Mourinho and even Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He behaved well professionally when he was out of the team and did not complain during the difficult phase. It has now paid off, with Martial now getting a run of games.
He has scored 7 goals and provided 6 assists in 1565 minutes, which spreads across 25 appearances. Apart from goals and assists, it is his contribution to the Man United attack during the build up play that stands out. He has troubled the opposition full-backs with his pace and intelligence coupled with dribbling and some excellent finishing.
The fact that the youngster has behaved exceptionally well and has shown determination to get back his place in the side deserves credits.
For now, it seems Martial’s future is with Manchester United. But things change quickly in the world of football and from now, his moves will be watched by everyone.
