Mourinho weighs up Martial gamble
French striker not on best of terms with coach as they face Burnley
Anthony Martial faces an anxious wait to discover if he still has a Manchester United future under beleaguered boss Jose Mourinho when his side face a crucial clash at Burnley today.
Martial has seen his relationship with the United manager deteriorate since his agent declared the French forward wanted to leave Old Trafford to try and resurrect his international career.
The matter reached its low point during United’s pre-season tour of the United States when Martial left to return to Europe for the birth of his child and then reportedly refused to re-join the team in America.
That stand-off resulted in Martial being fined by the club — the only time that has happened in Mourinho’s reign, according to the manager himself — and his involvement during United’s difficult start to their Premier League campaign has, so far, been limited.
An unused substitute for the opening day win over Leicester, Martial started in the disappointing loss at Brighton, only to be replaced after an hour, and was not even named on the bench for Monday’s home defeat by Tottenham.
But while it was widely accepted that Mourinho would have been prepared to allow Martial to leave Old Trafford this summer for the right ■ price, his employers did not share his opinion.
United’s owners, having paid Monaco £36 million ($46 million) for a player who is still only 22, seemed keen to keep the striker at the club in the hopes that he could develop and rediscover the form he showed in an electrifying start to his United career in 2015.
To that end, United reportedly opened discussions with Martial last week designed to tie him to a new, long-term deal.
Martial has less than 12 months remaining on his base deal but, as is common practice with United contracts, the club can, and will, exercise an option that extends until the summer of 2020 and avoids him leaving for free at the end of the current season.
However, United are understood to be talking to Martial’s representatives about a new, five-year contract extension, a development with which Mourinho is in full agreement, according to reports.