Martial or Rangnick - who is lying?

Carlo Garganese

• 16 Jan 2022 16:20 GMT
• 3 min read

Somebody is not telling the truth.

Following Man Utd’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday, Ralf Rangnick told the assembled media in the post-match press conference that Anthony Martial had refused to play.

What did Rangnick say about Martial?

"He didn't want to be in the squad," replied Rangnick to a journalist who asked why the German manager had named one less substitute on his bench and two goalkeepers.

"He would have been in the squad normally but he didn't want to and that was the reason why he didn't travel with us yesterday (Friday)."

What did Martial say about Rangnick?

This was angrily denied by Martial, who posted a message on Instagram Stories insisting that this wasn’t true and that he has never refused to play for the club.

"I will never refuse to play a match for Man Utd," sniped the 26-year-old.

"I've been here for seven years and I never disrespected and will never disrespect the club and the fans."

This was the last thing that Manchester United needed as their disastrous season goes from bad to worse.

On Saturday, they threw away a two-goal lead in Birmingham as Philippe Coutinho inspired a late comeback for Aston Villa.

United remain in seventh position, five points outside the top four and with a

Champions League spot now looking increasingly difficult.

The media has been full of reports in the last week that there are major divisions inside the dressing room.

It has been estimated that as many as 11 players want to quit the club this month, including Martial, while interim coach Rangnick is said to have already lost the confidence of some senior players.

Cristiano Ronaldo is already said to be considering his future and will almost certainly leave at the end of the season if United don’t make the top four. The Portuguese star did an interview earlier in the week giving Rangnick a vote of confidence.

As for Martial, this episode now surely means that the Frenchman must be offloaded this month either temporarily or permanently.

Sevilla have already had a loan offer rejected by United as they couldn’t match the club’s demands on loan fee and wages. Juventus are also interested.

But Martial cannot work any longer with Rangnick now. His last game for Man Utd was way back on December 2 and it now seems that his career at the club is over.