However, the manager informed that a player's departure from the team will be determined not only by the individual but also by the club's interest.
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Manchester United Ralf Rangnick has revealed that French striker Anthony Martial wants to leave the club. However, the manager revealed that a player’s departure from the team will be determined not only by the individual but also by the club’s interest. Martial has struggled for game time last season and earlier this season under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. His fortunes have not improved much when Rangnick took over the Manchester United job as an interim manager. With reports linking him with a move away from the club, the manager has confirmed that the Frenchman has indeed asked to leave the club.
Ahead of their Premier League trip to Newcastle United, Ralf Rangnick – in his media briefing – was asked if he had a chance to speak to Martial in person since he returned to training. “Yes, we spoke yesterday at length and he explained to me that he has been with Manchester United now for the last seven years and he feels that it might be the right time now for a change, to go somewhere else. I know this is in a way understandable and I could follow his thoughts but on the other hand it’s also important to see the situation of the club,” he was quoted as saying by their club’s website.
“We have COVID times, we have three competitions in which we still have high ambitions and want to be as successful as we can be. And I told him, it [a move] should not only be in the interest of the player, it should also be in the interest of the club. So far as far as I know, there has been no offer from any other club. And as long as this is the case, he will stay.”
It’s almost a month since the German was appointed to the role but United have only played three games under him. It was largely due to the fact that recent clashes against Brentford and Brighton were postponed because of COVID-19 cases within the squad. In relation to it, Rangnick was asked how the recent postponements and closure of Carrington have affected his ability to get his ideas across to the players. “Well obviously during those four days we couldn’t do it. I spoke with most of our players who are either in isolation or positively tested, so I spoke with 16 or 17 players individually over the phone just to hear how they are and how they’re feeling,” he had explained.
“We did a lot of work in between together with my coaching staff who prepared some video footage and we have started to show this video footage to them on Tuesday, yesterday and also today (Thursday), and we will follow up on that tomorrow and on Sunday because it’s important that they really know what it is about and how we should play, to find the best possible balance of playing offensively and make use of the offensive players we have but at the same time be able to defend as a team and make sure that we get further clean sheets in the future.”
