Jose Mourinho and Anthony Martial at war as star leaves LA tour
Posted Thursday, July 26, 2018 by Express.co.uk
MANCHESTER UNITED boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly at war with Anthony Martial after the star left the Red Devils' LA tour, reports have claimed.
Manchester United boss Mourinho wants to sell Martial, who is wanted by Chelsea, Tottenham and Bayern Munich.
The France international has flattered to deceive during Mourinho's two years at the helm and, having slipped down the pecking order last season, an Old Trafford exit could be on the cards.
Manchester United chiefs are determined to keep Martial but the player may force their hand.
The Daily Mail say the 22-year-old has been allowed to leave the club's Los Angeles tour to be with his pregnant girlfriend, Melanie Da Cruz.
And, while Mourinho is accepting of the player's situation, the relationship between the two is reportedly at breaking point.
Martial hit 17 goals for United when he signed in 2015, shining under old boss Louis van Gaal.
But, while the Dutchman seemed to trust Martial, Mourinho appears to have adopted a different stance.
Martial has spent the majority of his United career shunted out wide, despite wanting to play in the No 9 position.
The France international, who missed out on a place in his country's World Cup winning squad, was also furious after having his No 9 jersey given to Zlatan Ibrahimovic two years ago.
The Daily Mail say Mourinho is growing increasingly angry at Martial over what he perceives to be a lack of effort.
Martial has so far toiled on the club's pre-season tour, looking out of sorts against both Club America and San Jose Earthquakes.
And, with his relationship with Mourinho growing worse, United fans may never see him in the club's red jersey again.
But ESPN pundit Paul Mariner thinks Martial will stay - and feature against Leicester in their Premier League opener on August 11.
"I think he's gotta be, he's gotta be in [the squad vs Leicester], because with [Marcus] Rashford not coming back and [Jesse] Lingard coming back late from the World Cup, you know he's got to play a role somewhere," Mariner told ESPN FC.
"I think long-term he's gonna be away from United, I don't think Mourinho fancies him that much.
"I'm gonna say he's gonna be in the squad, they need him."
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