MY ACCOUNT
Anthony Martial takes on West Ham with Sevilla tonight hoping his European adventure will last at least a stage longer than that of his parent club.
The Frenchman, 26, moved to LaLiga on loan after falling down the pecking order at Manchester United, who crashed out of the Champions League to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Interim boss Ralf Rangnick has faced criticism since the defeat and Martial revealed he had decided it was finally time to leave Old Trafford when the German walked through the door in November.
He told the Guardian: “When he arrived, my objective was to leave.
“I told him I wanted to leave and that’s it. He talked to me. He said that if you want to stay, with the way you are training if you continue to train like that, you will play.
“But my objective was that I wanted to leave, to have a new atmosphere, a new club.”
Martial arrived at United from Monaco as a highly-rated teenager in 2015 but has struggled to meet expectations since his big-money move.
He has a real chance at Europa League glory with six-time champions Sevilla, who hold a 1-0 lead going into tonight’s Europa League last 16 second leg at the London Stadium.
The 30-cap international struck the decisive goal against Dinamo Zagreb to send his side into the last 16 and admits his future is uncertain with time remaining on his contract.
He added: “I asked United to leave because I wanted to play but I still have a contract. They know what I want, so we will see at the end of the season.
“I’m here just for the end of the season and that’s it.”
There remains a chance Martial will win over whoever takes over in the United dugout next season but both parties might agree it is time to find a permanent move this summer.
Whatever happens, striking a Hammer blow to David Moyes’ European dream tonight could go a long way towards securing a brighter future.
