Krishnan Sreekumar
Fabrizio Romano relays Manchester United striker Anthony Martial comments on his future at Sevilla
Speaking to ABC, as relayed by football journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Manchester United loanee Anthony Martial has signalled his intention to return to his parent club, saying his future at Sevilla looks complicated.
The Frenchman was loaned out to Sevilla in the January transfer window in an attempt to get more first-team minutes under his belt after being relegated to the bench at United this season, due to the competition in the squad.
Martial dropped down the pecking order in attack, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, and Marcus Rashford ahead of him in options preferred as the starting striker by both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
His game time became even more limited after Solskjaer was sacked and Rangnick replaced the manager on an interim basis, preferring to use other stars in attack instead of playing Martial through the middle. This eventually forced him to seek a temporary exit from the Red Devils in January, which led to his move to Spain.
“Return to Manchester United”
However, his time in La Liga has not gone swimmingly, with the 26-year-old unable to contribute to goals for the Spanish side despite being handed starts. He cuts a frustrated figure on the pitch in attack, looking short of form and confidence – issues that plagued him in Manchester as well.
As relayed by Romano, Martial confirmed that he would not be staying with Sevilla the next season, saying that it would be “very complicated” to continue with Julen Lopetegui’s team beyond the summer and that he always knew that he will eventually return to United.
“I see it very complicated to be able to continue at Sevilla. I came knowing that I would surely have to return to Manchester United.”
Ever since setting the stage alight on his home debut for the Red Devils by scoring against Liverpool in a 3-1 win, Martial has struggled to maintain that form and finishing that we witnessed from him in the early stages of his United career.
He was signed as an exciting teenager from AS Monaco as a teenager, but quickly became a fan favourite by the end of his first season in the Premier League, adapting well to the nature and physicality of the English top flight.
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Since then however, Martial has failed to make much of an impact for the PL giants when leading the line for them. In recent times, the Manchester side have signed Cavani and Ronaldo in order to supplement the goals for them, given how poor Martial has been when it comes to scoring on a regular basis.
This in turn led to the France international falling down the pecking order, unable to get a starting role for the team. With the loanee returning to Old Trafford when his temporary contract with Sevilla ends in the summer, only time will tell if he plans to stay on and fight for a place in the team or look for opportunities elsewhere.
