- 9 hours ago
'He set me on fire' - Why Martial has accused Solskjaer of treachery
Karan Tejwani
- 12 Sept 2022 10:10 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has discussed the time he spent working under former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and admitted he played through injury.
Solskjaer was often seen as a breath of fresh air for attacking players like Martial, and the Frenchman even had the best season of his career under the Norwegian boss in 2019/20.
However, he isn’t happy about one thing: having to play through injury, which affected his long-term form and fitness as he now struggles at the Red Devils.
It’s not uncommon to see Manchester United players claim they played through injury under Solskjaer, with many already aware that Marcus Rashford did the same.
Martial unhappy with treatment
Speaking to France Football about his form and career, Martial said: "People don't know it, I couldn't speed up during the four months following the Covid season,”
"The coach tells me he needs me, so I play. But, given my game, if I can't accelerate, it becomes very complicated all the same. And I got set on fire. The coach never bothered to tell the media.”
The forward then explained that it affected his long-term form, as evident by the fact that he has struggled at the club since the start of the 2020/21 season, losing his place in the side.
Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo were then signed as forwards for the Red Devils, and Martial even spent the second half of last season on loan at La Liga side Sevilla to get game time.
Anthony Martial on criticism of his body language:
"I'll tell you simply: I'm a footballer, not an actor.” pic.twitter.com/yHiHOXzCpP— SPORTbible (@sportbible) September 10, 2022
Martial discussed this, and felt he was let down by his former manager: "Obviously, I ended up getting injured for good and when I came back, finished, I didn't play anymore.
"I took it very badly, I had a feeling of injustice, you are asked to sacrifice yourself for the team and behind you are dismissed. For me, it's almost treachery."
Martial is injured at the minute, and despite a positive cameo against Liverpool earlier in the campaign, he has missed much of the season through injury.
