Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has been told he did not have the 'fire in his belly' to succeed while on loan at Sevilla. The 26-year-old faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford as manager Erik ten Hag gets to work on a much-needed rebuild during the summer transfer window.
Martial, 26, has two years left to run on his contract. However, after being cast aside last season, the France striker was also unable to take full advantage when put in the shop window. Indeed, the player failed to score during nine outings in Spain and is at a crossroads regarding the next step in his career.
He enjoyed a promising enough start with an assist on his home debut, but the United man failed to hit the net for Sevilla in any competition as they also slipped away from La Liga title contention in the second half of the term. But were, exactly, did it go wrong for the loanee?
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Seville-based agent Kenneth Asquez, who often deals with the Spanish club, told The Athletic: "Of course, Sevilla are disappointed with how Martial worked out. It was a huge outlay for them and that brought only one goal, but these things happen."
Asquez continued: "I'm told he was a lovely kid with the players and the staff and his conduct was fine. He kept a low profile, because he tried to concentrate on football, but I heard many times he didn't have the fire in his belly, that hunger, despite having all the talent in the world.
"I didn't see one game where I thought; 'That's what we're getting for €5m wages plus taxes'. I would have loved it to work out for him."
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