Anthony Martial has revealed his frustration over being publicly criticised by former boss Jose Mourinho when he was still in charge of Manchester United.
Mourinho was brought in to replace Louis van Gaal in the Old Trafford hot seat a little under four years ago, and he immediately set about stamping his own mark on the team.
Martial enjoyed a key role under the Portuguese initially, but he fell out of favour and finished the 2016-17 season with just 18 Premier League starts to his name.
Romelu Lukaku’s arrival in Manchester ensured Martial remained out of action the following season, which saw the team finish runners up in the Premier League behind Manchester City.
Mourinho was eventually sacked in December 2018, amid rumours of discord within the dressing room and an alarming drop in the club’s performance levels.
The 57-year-old tinkerer frequently singled out members of his squad for criticism in press conferences, with Martial’s demeanour and perceived lack of effort often called into question by the Portuguese.
“It’s true that I’d have preferred it if he’d told me directly, there’s no need to say it in front of everybody. After that, you definitely want to prove him wrong,” Martial told RMC Sport.
“He didn’t start me during the first few games and each time I came on, I scored. In the end, he told me: ‘You see, now you understand what I wanted’.
“It can get to you. You just want to show him you deserve to be on the pitch.”
Martial managed to reclaim a regular spot in United’s line-up after Solskjaer took over, with the Norwegian placing his faith in the forward and Marcus Rashford after deciding to sell Romelu Lukau and Alexis Sanchez last summer.
Injuries disrupted Martial’s good start to the new campaign, however, with Rashford having to shoulder the main goalscoring burden for the Red devils in his absence.
The roles have been reversed since the turn of the year but Martial has struggled to lead the line without Rashford who is sidelined until April.
