Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui reacts to Manchester United loanee Anthony Martial’s debut in Spain

Speaking to the club’s official website (h/t Manchester Evening News), Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui talked about how Manchester United loanee Anthony Martial fared on his debut in Spain, and called on the striker to offer more for his new club.

Martial managed to secure a loan move away to La Liga in the winter transfer window last month, with Sevilla snapping up the forward till the end of the season. Interim manager Ralf Rangnick deemed Martial surplus to requirements, and the Frenchman moved away till the summer in search of regular game time.

The striker made his Spanish top-flight debut last night, being given a start by his new manager, and lasted nearly the entire game. He was taken off late towards the end of the game, with former Barcelona man Munir El Haddadi replacing him as Lopetegui searched for a winner.

However, the game turned out to be a disappointment for both Martial and Sevilla. The La Liga side were held to a goalless draw at the end of ninety minutes and missed a penalty in injury time, while Martial cut a frustrated figure on the pitch after failing to make much of an impact for the time he got.

Need more from Martial

Martial left his parent club in some style, playing an important role in United’s 1-0 win against West Ham at home as the club managed a last-gasp win thanks to Marcus Rashford‘s late strike in injury time. Martial came on as a substitute in the game, and played in Edinson Cavani on the left, who rolled the ball across for Rashford to tap home in what was virtually the last kick of the game.

Manager Lopetegui demanded more from his new striker, saying that he needs to build on confidence and get some match rhythm into his game in due time. Martial will be keen to bounce back from this disappointment and look to score his first goal soon.

“Anthony has to give us much more. It was his first game and adaptation is not easy, he has played little this year and he has to get into dynamics and gain minutes and confidence.”

Once the world’s most expensive teenager, Martial became a fan favourite after scoring against United’s nemesis Liverpool on debut, in front of a raucous home crowd. The Frenchman seemed to be a revelation in his early years at United and his goal against Liverpool in his first season is something fans would still remember to this day.

However, the forward has fallen out of favour in recent years, with his form being inconsistent and his performances turning out to be underwhelming at times. For a club of United’s stature, a forward with patchy form would always be replaced and criticised for his time on the pitch.

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Those who watched Martial on his debut would know how terrible his day went. His passes were off, he struggled to get a chance on goal, and when he did, he was not able to find the target.

Despite his underwhelming debut, we can hope that Martial gets back to his best quickly. It is never easy settling into a new league and style of play under a new manager, but the 26-year-old is sure to come good in the next few weeks, given his talent. It remains to be seen if the France international will return to United in the summer, or seek a permanent exit at the end of the season in search of a new challenge.