Martial flaw leaves Jose in quandary

AS the pros and cons of Anthony Martial leaving Old Trafford are debated, one thing is certain – under Jose Mourinho he’s going backwards.

Three seasons ago, when Louis van Gaal was his coach, Martial scored 17 goals in all competitions. In his two seasons with Mourinho (top, right) he’s scored eight and 11. Before 2017 the 22-year-old played 15 times for France, in the last two calendar years it’s only been three times.

So it’s no surprise such a young talent wants to move on, but you can see why the Manchester United board are in a dilemma.

They sanctioned a massive deal for Alexis Sanchez six months ago, and know he’ll have to play.

With Romelu Lukaku, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford ahead of Martial (top, left), and Mourinho on the lookout for another attackminded player, the Frenchman is guaranteed little playing time.

But if United sell to a Premier League rival, Martial could turn out to be another example – alongside Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah and Lukaku – of Mourinho losing patience with a prodigious talent too soon.

And coming back to haunt the club who allowed that patience to be lost.