MY ACCOUNT
Ralf Rangnick says Anthony Martial’s desire to leave Manchester United is “understandable”.
Martial’s playing time has been limited this season, with just four starts across all competitions and a further six substitute appearances totalling just 358 minutes.
Rangnick said the France international had expressed his desire to leave, and while he can see the player’s point of view, he is not opposed to keeping Martial around to maintain the squad’s depth.
“We spoke at length on Wednesday,” Rangnick said reporters.
“He explained to me he’s been at Manchester United now for the last seven years and he feels it’s the right time for a change, to go somewhere else.
“I think in a way this is understandable, I could follow his thoughts but on the other hand, it’s also important to see the situation of the club.
“We have Covid times, we have three competitions in which we still have high ambitions and want to be as successful as we can be.”
Sevilla are reportedly among the clubs to have shown an interest in the forward, but Rangnick revealed that no formal offers have arrived for the 26-year-old.
“I told him, listen, as long as there is no club showing interest in him, and it should not only be in the interest of the player, it should also be in the interest of the club,” Rangnick continued.
“So far, as far as I know, there has been no offer from any other club and as long as this is the case he will stay.”
Should a move fail to materialise, Martial is likely to have to continue to bide his time on the bench, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford all ahead of him in the pecking order.
Rangnick outlined his approach to the transfer window in which he seeks to balance the desires of an individual player with what is best for the club as a whole.
“If a player wants to leave because he feels he will not get enough game-time here with us then we can speak about that, but it’s not only about what the player wants, it’s also about the situation of the club,” Rangnick said.
“Two things need to come together if a player wants to leave – one thing is if he wants to leave, but on the other hand, the needs of the club need to be satisfied.”
