Anthony Martial has revealed Jose Mourinho's public criticism inspired him to prove his former Manchester United boss wrong.
The pair's relationship was strained during Mourinho's time at Old Trafford and in September 2018 the Portuguese criticised Martial's work-rate, claiming the France forward was not "focussed on defensive duties" after a dismal 3-1 defeat to West Ham.
Martial responded with six goals in his next eight appearances, and has admitted that Mourinho's comments fired him up to improve.
“It’s true that I’d have preferred it if he’d told me directly, there’s no need to say it in front of everybody,” Martial told France outlet RMC.
“After that, you definitely want to prove him wrong. He didn’t start me during the first few games and each time I came on, I scored.
“In the end, he told me: ‘You see, now you understand what I wanted’. It can get to you. You just want to show him you deserve to be on the pitch."
While in charge of Real Madrid, Mourinho was also frustrated by Karim Benzema, once claiming he had only played the forward because he had "nothing else".
He insisted Martial was a different case altogether and said he was only trying to help the former Monaco forward fulfil his potential.
“With Karim, it was not a conflict, I just wanted to help the player – an incredibly talented player – change his mindset, help him reach his maximum,” said Mourinho. “To become a killer, a determined striker. I really enjoyed working with Karim.
“He [Martial] is a boy with a different personality. The thing I can say is that I hope he will reach a level commensurate with his real potential.”
At Tottenham, Mourinho has vented his frustrations publicly with another maverick French player, Tanguy Ndombele, claiming last month the midfielder is "always injured".
