Ralf Rangnick has said Anthony Martial is fit to play but insisted that the wantaway striker can only leave when clubs meet Uniteds’ terms
By Kehinde Okeowo
Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has once again reiterated that French striker Anthony Martial can only leave Old Trafford if the terms of the club are met by clubs trying to secure his services in the January window.
Reports from Europe suggest that La Liga clubs, Sevilla and Barcelona are attempting to broker a loan and swap deals for the Manchester United attacker respectively and that he is keen to leave.
Rangnick had earlier said no club has shown interest in the striker, despite approaching him and expressing his desire to leave after 7 years at the club.
ALSO READ: Rangnick says no club has shown interest in wantaway Martial
He also told the 26-year-old striker that he can only leave Old Trafford if clubs make offers and United are satisfied.
He said: “Yes, we [him and Martial] spoke, I think it was yesterday [Wednesday], we spoke at length. He explained to me he’s been at mufc now for the last seven years and he feels it’s the right time for a change, to go somewhere else.
“I told Martial, there’s no club showing interest in him, and it should not only be in the interest of the player, it should also be in the interest of the club. So far, there’s been no offer from any club & as long as this is the case he‘ll stay.”
After the news of interest in the striker from two La Liga clubs in January, Rangnick has once again made it clear that Martial cannot dictate how he wants to leave the club and that only United can sanction it.
He also told newsmen that the striker is not injured and fit to play despite not featuring in matches recently.
“He made it very clear that he wants to leave and in a way, I can understand his wish to leave and try to play more regularly somewhere else.
“But again, here, it is not only about what he wants to do but also a question of which kind of clubs are interested in him and do they meet the demands of the club? We have to wait and see
He is not injured currently, so I decided to go with this group of players that we had in the squad today.
It had nothing to do with injuries.” Rangnick said.