Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United loanee Anthony Martial opens up on his temporary Old Trafford exit in January
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Manchester United loanee Anthony Martial has opened up on his reason for leaving the club in the winter transfer window and joining Sevilla on loan until the end of the season.
The Frenchman has fallen down the pecking order at United this season, having to make do with a place behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, and Marcus Rashford to lead the line for the team.
With the player hardly getting any game time in Manchester, Martial said that he lost his love for the game at Man United and a change was necessary. This prompted him to leave on loan in January to get regular first-team action elsewhere.
“For me, it was the best option to play and enjoy football again. I lost it a little bit in Manchester because I was not playing. I asked United to leave because I wanted to play. I still have a contract but they know what I want, so we will see at the end of the season.”
The 26-year-old joined the Red Devils as a teenager from AS Monaco and was relatively unknown at the time of signing. However, a stunning home debut and solo goal against arch-rivals Liverpool made sure he was a household name in England by the time he made his first start in the team.
“I’m playing so I’m happy”
The striker moved to Sevilla in the winter transfer window, signing a loan deal that would keep him there until the end of the season. Although the France international is expected to return to Old Trafford at the end of the season, only time will tell if continues to remain with the club beyond the summer.
He opened up about his time in Spain, saying that Sevilla are a good team and that the city has welcomed him. Further, he stated that he was happy about playing regularly, but that he was only planning on staying till the end of the current season.
“I feel very good in Sevilla. The city is very good and we are a good team so, for me, it’s perfect. I’m playing so I’m happy. But I’m here just until the end of the season and that’s it.”
After a bright start to life at Old Trafford, Martial’s form waned and he struggled to hold down a starting spot in the first XI. Rashford’s emergence during his time as a striker did not help him, but the two often played in tandem, with the Englishman moving out left while Martial played through the middle.
He was also unlucky in the sense that while at the Theatre of Dreams, there were other senior and world-class strikers who threatened his place. Ronaldo, Cavani, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have always been preferred over the Frenchman during their time at the club.
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Rangnick’s arrival did not make it any better for the United No. 9, with the German having a clash with the player about refusing to be part of the squad against Aston Villa. In the end, the forward left the club on loan to join Sevilla.
Currently sitting second in the Spanish league, Martial has been tasked with helping his new side catch up to leader Real Madrid by supplying the goals. Although only in Spain till the summer, the striker looks happy to be back on the pitch and leading the line, something that he claims he has missed over the past year.
