Anthony Martial has unloaded on former Manchester United managers Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for how they treated him during their tenures at the club.
The striker joined United from Monaco in 2015 and had a fine debut season, winning the FA Cup and scoring 17 goals under Louis van Gaal.
Van Gaal was sacked at the end of that campaign and replaced with Mourinho, beginning years of frustration for Martial.
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Mourinho regularly criticised the player, both privately and publicly, and he he signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his first transfer window to be the focal point up front.
The Sweden superstar requested the No 9 shirt, which belonged to Martial, and he got it. Martial was then shifted to No 11 which he wasn't too happy with.
"It started with the story of the shirt number," Martial told France Football per Metro. "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.
"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."
Martial did help United to Carabao Cup and Europa League glory after shifting to the left wing. Six months later, Mourinho decided to sign Alexis Sanchez for that position which once again halted Martial's progression.
It cost him a place in France's 2018 World Cup squad, a tournament Didier Deschamps' side went on to win.
He continued: "He [Mourinho] talked about me in the press, little phrases, a bit like he had done with Karim Benzema at Real Madrid. He likes these little games, but he also knows who he is doing it with.
"He knows that I am then 20 years old, that if I say something, it is I who will pass for the young person who lacks respect.
"So I said nothing, it was useless. The following season, I was the best in the team in the first part of the season, he brought in Alexis Sanchez and there I hardly played anymore.
"It’s the season of the World Cup and it cost me dearly, especially since the France team won. I should have been there."
Mourinho and United parted ways in December 2018 and he was replaced by Solskjaer on an interim basis.
Solskjaer made a number of changes to the team, which included restoring Martial to the main striker position ahead of Romelu Lukaku.
In March 2019, Solskjaer was hired as permanent manager and the following summer he decided to sell Lukaku to Inter Milan. Martial took the No 9 shirt for 19/20 and he produced the best goalscoring season of his United career, scoring 23 times in all competitions.
He thought he had a strong relationship his new manager. That all changed when Solskjaer refused to back Martial when he soldiered on with injury for the team.
"I regularly played injured," Martial admitted. "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. The coach never bothered to tell the media.
"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."
Solskjaer left in November 2021 and under caretaker boss Ralf Rangnick, Martial's tensions boiled over and he joined Sevilla on a short-term loan.
Many expected him to be on the list of departures at Old Trafford this summer. However, a string of quality performances in pre-season changed Erik ten Hag's mind.
Martial's only game this term was August's 2-1 win over Liverpool. He came on as a second half substitute and assisted Marcus Rashford for United's second goal.
Topics: Manchester United, Anthony Martial, Premier League, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Daniel Marland