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Football

23rd Oct 2018

Anthony Martial keen to renew Manchester United contract, regardless of José Mourinho’s future

Anthony Martial has been linked with a move away from Manchester United due to his fractious relationship with Jose Mourinho but is now keen to stay put

Reuben Pinder

His relationship with José Mourinho has been up and down…

Anthony Martial and José Mourinho have not always seen eye to eye. Mourinho is famously a manager with very little patience for young players and their need to make mistakes in order to grow. He prefers the finished product; which is probably why he has not stayed at any club for longer than three years.

This style of management has meant that during his tenure at Manchester United, game time for Martial has been limited. Mourinho has more often than not favoured the more experienced Alexis Sanchez, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard in wide positions.

That’s beginning to change, though, as Martial has grabbed the opportunity to shine in a run of games with both hands, scoring a brace against Chelsea and a key goal in United’s comeback against Newcastle a couple of weeks back.

Having been constantly linked with a move away from Old Trafford due to his lack of game time under Mourinho and the fractious relationship between the pair, he is now keen to renew his contract with the club, regardless of how long Mourinho stays at the club, according to RMC Sport.

The French publication report that the relationship between the two has warmed in recent weeks, and Martial has changed his tune as a result.

Martial’s contract will run until June 2019 as it stands, but will likely sign a new deal with the club very soon.

The 22-year-old is in line to start against Juventus in the Champions League tonight after Mourinho yesterday confirmed that Alexis Sánchez would play no part in the tie.

It’d be tough to argue that this run of games is undeserved, either, as no player has scored more goals for United since his arrival in 2015 than Martial, who has 40 goals in 145 matches.