Solskjaer, Mourinho Wanted To Sell $36M Star Who Now Wants To Leave Manchester United

Former Manchester United bosses reportedly wanted to get rid of Anthony Martial, who is currently causing many issues for interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

Rangnick's predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to sell Martial, The Athletic noted in a report.

Even Jose Mourinho, who was in charge of Manchester United between 2016 and 2018, also wanted to part ways with the French footballer, who joined the club from Monaco in 2015, according to The Times.

Martial, who is contracted with Manchester United until 2024, has fallen down in the pecking order at Old Trafford. He has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, with the latest one being about his alleged refusal to be in the matchday squad with Aston Villa Saturday.

Rangnick named only eight substitutes for the league match at Villa Park. After the game, which ended in a 2-2 draw, the German boss claimed Martial's absence from the squad was completely the player's choice.

"He [Martial] didn't want to be in the squad. He would have been in the squad normally. But he didn't want to be and that's the reason why he wasn't with us," Rangnick said in a post-match interview Saturday.

Martial's absence meant Rangnick opted to include two goalkeepers — Dean Henderson and Tom Heaton — on his bench.

But the former Monaco forward was quick to clear his name, saying he would never refuse to play a match for Manchester United.

"I will never refuse to play a match for Man United. I've been here for seven years and I never disrespected, and will never disrespect, the club and the fans," Martial said on Instagram, according to Caughtoffside.com.

It was earlier reported that Martial could move to FC Barcelona in a swap deal that could see Ousmane Dembele land at Old Trafford.

It was also previously reported that Martial informed Manchester United he wanted to leave the club in the underway January market. Martial has a market value of around $36 million, reported Transfermarkt. However, it is currently on a decline.

In the 2021-22 campaign, Martial has made only 10 competitive appearances for Manchester United. Among those, only seven have come in the Premier League, where he has started only two times. The 26-year-old has scored one goal this season.