For those that don’t know, United forward Anthony Martial and former manager Jose Mourinho got off to a very rough start during their time together at Old Trafford. Martial and Mourinho famously fell out when the France international walked out of United’s pre-season training camp to attend the birth of his son. Things started going downhill from there as Mourinho accused Martial of insisting he play central striker and get this, Mourinho claims it’s ”for the wrong reason.”
Now Anthony Martial has admitted he was unhappy during Mourinho’s spell at the club. The 24-year-old said Mourinho publicly humiliated him by dropping him from the team. However, the footballer did say this act motivated him to work hard to win his place back. Martial, recalled the events in an interview stating he was determined to prove former manager Mourinho wrong.
In a new small part documentary set to cover the Portuguese manager’s life and career, Martial admitted Mourinho’s tactics were his way of provoking a reaction from his players.
“It is true that I prefer to be told to my face,” Martial said.
”There is no need for it to be said in front of everybody. Certainly, after that, you want to prove him wrong.”
“He did not play me during the first matches of the season. Each time I came on, I scored, and he eventually said to me [smiling]: ”you see, now you understand what I am after.”
”It can sting, but you just want to show him that you should be on the pitch.”
During the second season of Mourinho’s reign, their public fallout saw Martial start just three of the opening 11 Premier League games. Martial end up finishing the 2017/2018 campaign with only nine goals in 30 league appearances. Mourinho was later sacked in December 2018 by the club f. Mourinho has since taken charge of Tottenham Hotspur after replacing Pochettino in November.
Meanwhile, United will travel to Stamford Bridge after the winter break in hope of winning 3 points with the help of their new signees Ighalo and Fernandes. With Fernandes and Ighalo likely to start, United are looking for a boost to help them finish in the top four this season. The Red Devils are currently a seventh place with 35 points, six points adrift of Chelsea.
