Anthony Martial confirms he will 'surely' return to Man Utd in summer
Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has described it as ‘very complicated’ for him to remain at Sevilla, all but confirming he won’t stay at the club beyond his initial loan.
Having fallen out of favour at Old Trafford, Martial joined Sevilla on loan during the January transfer window on a deal that runs until the end of the season and has no option to buy.
The Frenchman agreed to a wage cut to make the move possible, keen to have the chance to play more regular football after starting only two Premier League games in the first half of the season.
Martial is yet to score in La Liga, with his only Sevilla goal to date coming in the Europa League against Dinamo Zagreb back in February. He has generally been a starter since arriving in Spain, although an injury has forced him to miss a handful of games as well.
“I came to be able to enjoy football again after a long time without playing. I know I can be at a higher level, and I work for it, but first the injury, then the adaptation to a new club and a new city, is being difficult for me because of the language barrier,” the player told ABC.
The loan deal agreed with United does not include an option to buy, which always made a return to Manchester at the end of the season likely, even if negotiations with a different club start at a later date – Fabrizio Romano said recently that Sevilla don’t plan to make an offer.
“I see it very complicated to be able to continue at Sevilla. I’m not worried about that right now. I came knowing that it would be six months and then I would surely have to return to Manchester United,” Martial added.
“I’m very happy with the experience of playing in a new club, as big as Sevilla and having minutes again. If we manage to be a top four team, we will have achieved the goal and I will be happy for the fans, who have been very good to me since I arrived.”
When Martial does report back for duty with United in summer, he will encounter a new manager. Erik ten Hag looks set to be confirmed in the job sooner rather than later, which at least has the potential to offer Martial a fresh start at the club, especially with Edinson Cavani leaving.
The former Monaco forward has often underwhelmed since his surprise 2015 arrival, but did score 23 goals in all competitions during the 2019/20 campaign to underline his talent.
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!