MARTIAL
Manchester United forward Anthony Martial was 'surprised and
disappointed' to lose his No 9 shirt to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, his agent has
revealed.
Martial wore the shirt during his
first season at United but he now sports No 11 after Ibrahimovic took over the
No 9 upon signing in the summer.
Philippe Lamboley, the player's
representative, has described the decision to as 'disrespectful' in an
explosive interview with French media outlet RMC Sport.
Martial had an outstanding
breakthrough season at Old Trafford after signing from Monaco last season, but
his performances have failed to hit the same heights this season. He has scored
only two goals in twelve appearances under Jose Mourinho.
'The loss of the No 9 shirt has been
mentioned to justify his start to the season,' Lamboley told RMC Sport.
'I am not going to lie to you. Yes, this has affected him,
yes this surprised him, yes it disappointed him... for a few days. But he is a
professional. He then got back into the swing of things.
'Personally, I have not accepted
this decision that I deemed uncalled for and disrespectful towards my player.
This feeling, I have directed this towards Manchester United's directors. We
turn the page and move on but it's hard to digest it.'
Sportsmail understands that
Martial had been working on his branding with his commercial team in the
lead-up to the change and they were hoping to make a major impact on his
personal website and social media with the No 9 central to the publicity theme.
It is understood that there was no
consultation before Ibrahimovic took over the shirt number. On the Chinese
social website Weibo, his branding was launched as 'AnthonyMartial_9' in late
September this year, despite Ibrahimovic now wearing the United No 9 shirt and
Martial the No 11.
Martial's agent also claimed that
the forward's problems at the start of this campaign are due to the lack of
holiday that the player was able to have this summer, following a gruelling
campaign and then exertions with the French national team at Euro 2016.
'Everyone who follows and
understands football will be able to understand. To understand that a boy who
played 60 games last season, who played his last match of last season on July
10, competed at the Euros, who had 15 days of holiday and joined pre-season 15
days later, can not be at his best level from the start of the season.
'I have to say that the first four
matches of the season with United, Anthony was starting while being at only 60
per cent of his means. I also must add add that Anthony scored his first goal
for France.
People don't realise the difficulty of playing 60 games in one
season, moreover in the Premier League.'
The agent did, however, play down
suggestions that there are problems between Martial and Jose Mourinho, while
also insisting the Frenchman is happy in Manchester.
'They have a very professional
relationship. I am sure that Jose Mourinho will know how to bring the best out
of Anthony like Louis van Gaal did before him.
'He is very happy at United. He is
not smiling all the time but that's part of his personality. People who know
him well know that he is a smiling, open and warm guy. He is very attached to
the fans who have welcomed him so nicely.
'He has only one ambition: to have a
great season and win titles with United. What he has accomplished already is
amazing, he is only starting his career. And I promise you the best is to
come.'
Meanwhile, Former Bayern Munich
president Uli Hoeness believes Mourinho has treated Bastian Schweinsteiger
'like a leper' since isolating him from the United squad.
He told German newspaper
Abendzeitung: 'It is unbelievable what happens with him there.
'It says much about the whole
situation at that club that they don't let Schweinsteiger practice with the
team, that they leave him out of the team photo and handle him like a leper.
'Schweinsteiger is an amazing guy
and was an amazing player for Bayern Munich. It's a pity that they do that to
him.'
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