Anthony Martial admits he was motivated to prove Jose Mourinho wrong after being dropped by the former Manchester United manager following his arrival at the club.
Mourinho moved to United in the summer of 2016 and initially showed his faith in the French winger by playing him on the left wing during the club's first three games of the season.
However, Martial's role soon became less secure, and he started just three of the next 15 Premier League matches under the Portuguese coach.
The Frenchman struggled for a regular starting berth throughout Mourinho's time at Old Trafford and he admits the tough love approach was one which he initially struggled to take on board.
"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 RMC Sport when asked about being dropped by Mourinho.
"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."
