Man Utd make major decision to ‘release’ Solskjaer favourite as Ratcliffe grants Mourinho transfer wish

Anthony Martial will be released by Man Utd when his contract runs out at the end of the season despite contract talks, according to reports.

The Red Devils signed Martial from Monaco in 2015 for a fee that would eventually rise to £44.7m with the forward regarded as one of the hottest prospects in world football at the time.

However, it has not worked out how either party would’ve liked during Martial’s time at Old Trafford with the Man Utd forward struggling to make a consistent impact.

The France international has scored 90 goals in 317 matches for the Red Devils and has only managed to score one Premier League goal this season as Man Utd have found it hard to hit the back of the net.

Martial has been hit by multiple injury issues during his time at Man Utd and Roma boss Jose Mourinho recently suggested that he told the Red Devils hierarchy to sell him during his time at the Premier League club.

Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay are the only other players currently at Man Utd while Mourinho was still at the club.

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Speaking in December, Mourinho told John Obi Mikel’s Obi One podcast: “There are still people in that club, and when I say people I mean some players but also some other people that are not players, that are still there when I told [United] after two months: With these people, you are never going to do it. And they are still there.”

And now Mourinho will finally get his transfer wish with talkSPORT claiming that Man Utd ‘are not planning to offer’ Martial a new contract at the club.

Martial is ‘set to be released on a free transfer when his current deal expires in the summer if he does not find a new club this month’ with incoming investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe poised to take full control of football operations at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag confirmed that Man Utd are in discussions with Martial but talkSPORT ‘understands these conversations are unlikely to result in fresh terms’.

In September 2022, Martial revealed that he felt Mourinho “disrespected” him after asking to move shirt number during a break between seasons.

“It started with the story of the shirt number,” Martial told France Football. “During the holidays, he sent me a message asking me if I would change to No. 11, explaining that it was great because it was the number of the legend Ryan Giggs. I told him that I had the greatest respect for Giggs but that I would prefer to keep my No. 9. And when I go back to the club, I see my No. 11 shirt, the story didn’t go well.

“He disrespected me, directly. He talked about me in the press, little phrases, a bit like he had done with Karim Benzema at Real Madrid. In the [2017-18] season, I was the team’s top scorer in the first half of the season, he brought in Alexis Sanchez and then I didn’t play much. It was the World Cup season as well, and it cost me a lot at the end, especially as the French team won. I should have been there.”

Martial enjoyed his best goalscoring spell under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, bagging 23 goals in 48 matches in the 2019/20 campaign, and he revealed in the same interview that the Norwegian asked him to play while injured.

“The last two seasons, I have regularly played injured,” Martial added. “People don’t know that, I couldn’t accelerate during the four months following the COVID season. Solskjaer tells me that he needs me, so I play.

“Given my game, if I can’t accelerate, it becomes very complicated. And I get criticised – the coach never bothered to tell the media. Obviously, I end up getting injured for good and when I come back, finished, I don’t play anymore.

“I took it very badly. I had a feeling of injustice. You are asked to sacrifice yourself for the team and behind you are dismissed. For me, it’s almost treachery. That’s all I hate. I can be blamed, but not for being fake.”