Manchester United and La Liga club Sevilla announced on Tuesday that The French demon King Antonio Martial has joined Sevilla on loan until the end of the season.
The two clubs reached an agreement on Monday, and the next day Martial flew to Andalusia, where he was fitted to complete the signing. After joining Manchester United in £36 million in 2015, he scored 79 goals in 269 appearances, winning the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League, and Manchester United wished Martial all the best in its official statement.
Sevilla director Monchi personally greeted Martial at the airport, underwent a medical examination and then held a signing ceremony with him, and finally handed over the No. 22 shirt to Martial, who walked into the Piz juan stadium in a new suit. Anthony Martial is the second United winger to be loaned to La Liga this season, and Uruguayan youngster Fakundo Perristri currently plays for Alaves in 17 appearances.
Martial, 26, summed up his transfer simply on his social networking site: "A new chapter." Sevilla, while second in the La Liga table, have scored only 34 goals, far behind Real Madrid's 47 goals, and even less than Betis, Atletico, Villarreal and Valencia. The manager Lopetegui, who is rumored to be on Manchester United's four-man squad for the new manager, is hoping to bring in Martial and improve the team's chances of winning the title, and they are currently four behind Real Madrid.
It was a win-win-win deal, with United receiving £5m on loan, saving Anthony Martial £5m in wages for the second half of the season, equivalent to £10 million. Renting out without a buyout clause, if The Manchester United demon king plays well, this summer the new manager can choose to keep him or sell him. Martial will prove himself by getting the main position during the loan period, while Sevilla will get a talented goalscorer.
Manchester United legendary centre-back Leo Ferdinand pointed to Anthony Martial's unstable form and predictable style of play as the reason for his defeat in the Premier League. "I think Martial needs to leave, he needs to play, he needs to be a main player, he needs to start playing steadily, he needs to play steadily. He lost his starting spot at Manchester United for more than a year, so he needs a transfer." Ferdinand said, "Van der Beek and Jesse Lingard are the same, they need to leave their play. In Anthony Martial's transfer contract with Manchester United, there is a floating clause for the Ballon d'Or, which raises expectations, and coupled with the debut goal of Liverpool, everyone feels that he will become a world-class player."
"He also had moments of inspiration in his career at Manchester United that made people think he was different, but more often than not, he didn't make too much of an impression and made people feel that he was not enough to play for Manchester United. Martial is a threat when he controls the ball, the ball is in trouble at the defender's feet, and he runs on a phenomenal level. But I don't think Martial runs enough without the ball, he's fast, but doesn't like running in neutral. Your offensive mode has to be richer and you can't always think about the ball at your feet. Hopefully, Martial will improve during his rental spell at Sevilla and that his departure will also give United room to bring in other players."
A video shot by Old Trafford fans showed an army that remained sullen after United's 1-0 win over West Ham and walked straight back into the dressing room with no expression. At that moment he already knew that the countdown to his days with the Red Devils was already in.