Anthony Martial time at Manchester United has been filled with ups and downs, but based on his agent's comments, it seems like his time at the club may be reaching its end.
Martial's representative told Sky Sports News : "Anthony wishes to leave the club in January. He just needs to play. He doesn't want to stay in January and I will speak to the club soon."
Martial has seen limited game time this season, playing 359 minutes of football and scoring one goal. Still, it seems to be a situation of his own making, as his poor output and lack of effort isn't giving any United manager reason to select him.
His 2019/20 form, which saw him score 23 goals in all competitions, seems so long ago now. And for this reason, it is hard to believe that United will find any suitors willing to help them recoup a significant portion of the fee they originally paid for Martial, nor take on his massive wage packet.
So what should United do to find the best solution for all parties involved?
Well, the answer may lie in two of United's past departures, Chris Smalling and, more applicable to this situation, Alexis Sanchez.
Both were players that United wanted to get off their books, as they were fringe players who were taking up a squad spot, underperforming in their limited appearances and also, in Sanchez's case especially, eating up a large portion of the club's resources to keep around.
But a loan to Roma for Smalling and Inter for Sanchez allowed both players to regain some of their prestige and allowed United to command a fee for Smalling and convince Inter to take on Sanchez's wages, but with the caveat that it was a free transfer.
If Martial was to go abroad and impress, at 26 years old, he is still at the age where United might secure a reasonable transfer fee for the player.
Ralf Rangnick seemed to address the Martial situation in his press conference on Friday, saying: "We need to make sure that players want to stay here if. If they see not getting enough game time here, it might make sense to speak individually with the players to see if a loan deal might make sense, but right now, it's still too early to speak about that."
He may not have been directly speaking about the Frenchman, but his comments seem to relate to the forward's plight. Rangnick may be saying this in the regard that a loan will allow them to command a better fee or from the aspect that he is only the interim manager currently, and the manager that replaces him in summer may want to use any players who are now on the fringes.
With the January window around the corner, United fans will not have to wait long to see what comes of the Martial situation.
Do you think Anthony Martial should leave Manchester United in January? Follow our United On My Mind writer Casey Evans on Twitter and get involved in the discussion in the comment section below.
