Anthony Martial’s firm desire to leave Manchester United in the January window saw him get a loan move to Sevilla at the start of this year.
The forward spent the second half of the season on loan with the La Liga side, where he managed a goal and assist from 12 matches in all competitions. His goal came in Sevilla’s February win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League.
Martial’s stay at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán was disrupted by multiple injuries, which meant the Red Devils player couldn’t enjoy continuity with Julen Lopetegui’s side.
José María Cruz de Andrés, the La Liga side’s general manager and secretary of the board of directors, has spoken to Sport Witness, and Martial was one of the topics.
He explained the France international’s struggles during his temporary spell at Sevilla were down to injuries and his failure to adapt quickly in the new setup.
“Some players are able to adapt themselves immediately into the new team. We have experiences with the players we brought in the winter market. For instance, Ivan Rakitić, Gary Medel and Stevan Jovetić, we had him on loan, had quick adaptation,” José María Cruz de Andrés told Sport Witness.
“Some players need more time. I remember Dani Alves, who is an excellent player. He needed one-and-a-half-seasons in order to be competitive.
“I believe that problem with Anthony Martial was when he was starting to adapt to the coach, to his system, he suffered some injuries. He was unable to have the continuity that he needed.
“I believe he was very happy and he thought it was a good opportunity for him [to join Sevilla on loan]. The injuries have been a problem for Martial. I believe he has enjoyed playing with us. I can imagine Anthony Martial has found that Sevilla would be a good club for him to have a new opportunity [in January].”
Martial will to return to Manchester United for pre-season training and to find out whether or not he will be included in Erik Ten Hag’s plans at Old Trafford next season.
