At the end of last month, Jose Mourinho gave Manchester United forward Anthony Martial a public dressing down and it appears to be working out pretty well.
The Frenchman was singled out by the United boss at the end of December amid speculation linking him with an exit from Old Trafford, and it came after Martial had scored an important equaliser in a win over Middlesbrough.
Handed a place in the starting line-up again for the clash with Reading in the FA Cup on Saturday, the former Monaco starlet produced again as he scored with a quality curling effort to double his side’s lead and put them in a commanding position to advance to the next round.
.@AnthonyMartial slots home with ease to double @ManUtd's lead. #EmiratesFACup https://t.co/HYaxP27qOg
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) January 7, 2017
“Martial has to listen to me and not his agent. He has to listen to me in training every day and in every feedback I give to try and improve him,” said last month, as reported by BBC Sport.
“With Martial every day I read the newspaper, ‘Anthony Martial goes to Sevilla, Anthony Martial goes on loan, Anthony Martial is not happy’. Anthony Martial has to listen to me.”
The 21-year-old’s future in Manchester looked pretty bleak earlier this season as he was struggling to get into the team and replicate the form in front of goal that he showed last year.
However, as he slowly starts to rediscover his best form, he’ll hope to become a pivotal figure for Mourinho’s side between now and the end of the season.