Footballer Anthony Martial accuses ex-Man Utd manager Solskjaer of ‘treachery’ in explosive interview
French footballer Anthony Martial has accused former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer of treachery for not defending his performances.
26-year-old French footballer Anthony Martial recently spoke to France Football in an interview and spoke about his time at Premier League club Manchester United. Having joined United in 2015 under Louis van Gaal, Martial went on to play under managers like Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. Speaking about Mourinho, the 26-year-old accused Solskjaer of treachery for not defending his performances, while he was playing through injuries.
As reported by Manchester Evening News, Martial said, “I regularly played injured. People don’t know it, I couldn’t accelerate during the four months following the Covid season. The coach tells me he needs me, so I play. But, given my game, if I can’t accelerate, it becomes very complicated all the same. And I got set on fire (getting criticised by fans), the coach never bothered to tell the media”.
He further admitted that playing through injuries made him sit out, and he didn’t play anymore after coming back. “Obviously, I ended up getting injured for good and when I came back, finished, I didn’t play anymore. I took it very badly, I had a feeling of injustice, you are asked to sacrifice yourself for the team and behind the scenes, you are dismissed. For me, it’s almost treachery. That’s all I hate. I can be blamed, but not for being fake,” Martial told French Football.
Anthony Martial’s stats for Manchester United
The Frenchman joined the English club after a transfer from Monaco and has made 270 appearances for the club so far. He has scored 79 goals, alongside 51 assists for United. In the ongoing 2022-23 season, Martial has made only one appearance for the club against Real Sociedad, where he played for 44 minutes.
‘He lacked direct respect for me’: Anthony Martial on Jose Mourinho
Meanwhile, the footballer also spoke about playing under Mourinho, when he first started making headlines for unfavourable reasons. “It started with the story of the shirt number. During the holidays, he [Mourinho] sent me a message to ask if I want to change to the No.11, explaining to me that it is great because it was worn by Ryan Giggs, a club legend,” he said.
“I tell him that I have the greatest respect for Giggs but I prefer to keep the No.9. When I returned to the club, I see my name with the No.11, the story did not end well. He [Mourinho] lacked direct respect for me. ‘He talked about me in the press, little phrases, a bit like he had done with Karim Benzema at Real Madrid,” Martial added.
