Anthony Martial wants out of Manchester United, according to his agent

There’s a potentially exciting development in the battle between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United for the sale of Anthony Martial. The two clubs have been at loggerheads over United selling Martial to Spurs, especially in light of Tottenham playing hardball over the sale of Toby Alderweireld to United. Martial, meanwhile, has stayed quiet about his situation, despite Jose Mourinho basically marginalizing him since January.

Martial broke his silence on Wednesday via his agent. According to French media outlet RMC Sport (as reported in the Evening Standard), Philippe Lamboley has said that his client wants to leave Manchester, and that “numerous” other clubs are interested in Martial’s services.

“After reflecting carefully on all the possibilities and all the parameters, Anthony has decided he wants to leave Manchester United.

“Manchester United wanted to offer Anthony a contract extension and don’t want him to leave, but we haven’t been able to reach an agreement after several months of talks.

“If Manchester United, the most powerful club in the world, can’t reach an agreement after eight months of negotiations, it means they don’t really consider him to be an important player.

“We simply don’t share their view of Anthony’s future. He is disappointed, because he has shown love for the club and supporters over the last three years. I can tell you that without the unconditional love of the supporters, Anthony would’ve asked to leave Manchester United sooner.

“I can’t say anything at the moment, but clearly, from the moment a player like Anthony is on the market, many clubs are interested. All I can say is that many coaches appreciate his talents and many clubs are proposing their projects to Anthony.

“The league isn’t the most important issue. Anthony simply wants to play, rediscover the pleasure of football and the rapport with the coach will be crucial.”

Those are STRONG comments from Martial’s agent, and they absolutely do not mince words. It’s pretty clear: he wants out. It makes sense — Martial was already competing with Marcus Rashford in United’s lineup, and then Mourinho went and bought Alexis Sanchez in January, who went on to play like dogs--t for most of the season while shoving Martial to the fringes of the squad. I’d want out too.

There have been rumors that Martial has an interest in moving to Spurs, and he’d be a pretty spectacular addition should the club decide to move for him: he’s 22, basically the same age as Dele Alli, and despite having limited minutes has had some pretty impressive production.

More importantly, these comments might help break the deadlock between Spurs and United, assuming that the come-and-get-me plea doesn’t cause another, bigger club to come in with a GAZUMPING. United may not want to strengthen Spurs, but knowing the player wants out could give Spurs more of an advantage in negotiations and could help force a move, even if Alderweireld doesn’t go the other way.

That’d be pretty great, because whether you think Spurs need a player like Martial or not, he’s the kind of young talent who’s still at a favorable point in the development curve and who can improve a Champions League caliber team. He’s the kind of player that, if your’e being brave and taking risks, you can’t afford NOT to go after.