Manchester United’s training camp will endure yet another complicating issue. That is a bad sign with roughly two weeks before the start of the 2018-19 Premier League season.
The high amount of players on holiday after the 2018 World Cup, the injuries – headlined by Antonio Valencia’s – and the lack of signings have Jose Mourinho quite worried about the future of the team. However, one thing that is about to become a distraction – if it isn’t already – is the whole Anthony Martial saga.
The Frenchman has been quite vocal in his desire of leaving the side this summer, but Mourinho does not want to sell him to another Premier League club so the amount of potential suitors will decrease considerably. But now we can add another situation worth monitoring, as Martial left the U.S. pre-season tour for the birth of his first child.
That shouldn’t pose a problem. But the big issue here is that Martial has apparently left the pre-season tour without asking permission to the coaching staff. And that… is going to be a huge problem. It was initially thought the Frenchman received permission from manager Jose Mourinho to leave. However, United were unable to confirm that was the case on Wednesday.
So.. what should Mourinho do with Martial?
While we can’t judge what happened without having the entire story available, it is clear that Martial’s time at Manchester United is running out. He does not want to be in the team anymore and at this point, why would Mourinho want to keep him as well? He does nothing but complicating things further with his personality. And it’s not like if he was a key player for Manchester United, either.
The Red Devils have Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard to play on a wider role upfront. And while losing Martial would be big considering his potential and the fact that he is only 22 years old, it makes no sense to maintain him on the first team if he does not want to be there. One does not leave a pre-season tour without permission and wait for everything to be okay. There will probably be consequences against the Frenchman if the version of him “escaping” the tour ends up being the real one.
Manchester United must play things smartly from now on. A 22-year-old forward with potential to be a world-class talent is not something must teams have. Based on the recent situations and the context between both parties, the best scenario would be if United part ways with Martial before the end of the transfer window.
That seems to be the best solution for all parties involved.
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