Manchester United forward Anthony Martial reportedly faces an uncertain future as it’s claimed Jose Mourinho has run out of patience with him.
As reported by The Sun, the French international has been given several chances by his manager to find his form so far this season but things haven’t been going to plan.
Following his performance in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool just under a fortnight ago, it proved to be a real annoyance for Mourinho who dropped him for last weekend’s encounter with Stoke City.
It’s claimed that the Portuguese tactician could now snub the Frenchman, as he is fortunate enough to have several options at his disposal to play in the wide positions.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney are all capable of playing in behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and it appears as though Martial may well be slipping down the pecking order moving forward.
Mourinho discussed Martial’s situation prior to United’s EFL semi-final second-leg clash with Hull City on Thursday, with his side just one step away from reaching Wembley.
“I don’t think he lost his focus. I think he just didn’t take with both hands a big opportunity he had,” he told the media, as noted in the above report.
“So this is the reality. We have Rashford, Lingard, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Martial and I cannot give the same player chance after chance after chance and not consider the effort of the others.”
Martial finished last season as United’s top goalscorer with 17 goals and he made a significant impact that suggested he would be a pivotal part of the team for years moving forward.
However, it hasn’t gone to plan for the £36m signing from Monaco, as per The Sun, this season, as he’s managed just six goals and three assists in 21 appearances in all competitions.
In turn, the pressure really is on him to respond and make an impact if given a chance, but with such fierce competition for places, it remains to be seen when he is given another opportunity to impress by a seemingly disappointed Mourinho.