Anthony Martial's fresh start in Spain is not quite going according to plan after the French forward was jeered off the field in his latest display for Sevilla.
The Manchester United star joined the La Liga club in January and saw the six-month loan move as the ideal opportunity to revive his faltering career again after a difficult period at Old Trafford. But that has so far not been the case for the 26-year-old, who has found the net just once for his new club in eight appearances.
Perhaps more worryingly for Martial is the fact he is yet to complete a game for Sevilla in that time, with his most recent outing against Real Sociedad cut short after just 59 minutes, and sections of the home fans showed their frustration by releasing a chorus of jeers as he walked from the field.
Martial had only just worked his way back into the side following injury, and had played 102 minutes of the Europa League semi-final second leg defeat to West Ham on Thursday. He was handed another starting berth four days later to face Sociedad but did little to endear himself to the home supporters.
According to Sport , many of those inside the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium began whistling when Martial trudged off after an ineffective display, although there was some applause for the loanee. The goalless draw was made worse by Real Madrid's defeat to Barcelona, as Sevilla missed the chance to gain two more points on the La Liga leaders.
Martial does have chance to make amends with both Barcelona and Real Madrid to come in Sevilla's next three fixtures, although time is running out for him to make a lasting impression ahead of the summer transfer window. Moreover, the negative reaction from the Sevilla fans will be something Martial will have hoped he left behind in Manchester.
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Upon joining the club in January, he said: "I had a lot of options but I talked to the manager [Julen Lopetegui] and with Monchi and I said Sevilla was the best option to play and enjoy football again because I lost it a little bit in Manchester.
"I wasn’t playing and I knew that if I went to Sevilla, I would have the occasion to play and enjoy myself. I feel very good at Sevilla. The city’s very good and we are a good team, so for me, it’s perfect. I’m playing so I am happy.”
Lopetegui was onto Martial immediately after his loan switch, however, demanding the forward "has to give more" following his tepid debut. It took Martial a few games to break his duck, eventually scoring on his third outing against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League, although his tally has not improved since.
Martial faces a defining summer once he returns to Man Utd, with a new manager incoming and his future likely to hinge on who the new face will be in the dugout. United will have hoped a spell in Spain would have reignited the fire in Martial, who has failed to live up to his potential since his record move to the club as a teenager.
A lack of playing time prompted him to seek a new challenge elsewhere, and while United's interim coach Ralf Rangnick will not be in the hot-seat next season, it seems Martial considers his future to be away from Old Trafford. Speaking to The Guardian earlier this month, he said: “When he [Rangnick] arrived, my objective was to leave. I told him I wanted to leave and that’s it.
"He talked to me. He said that if you want to stay, with the way you are training if you continue to train like that, you will play. But my objective was that I wanted to leave, to have a new atmosphere, a new club.” Sadly it's not working out just yet.
