Despite how it had seemed a while ago, Jose Mourinho wishes Anthony Martial to stay at the club and believes he is “much closer to being a top player” than he was when he joined from Monaco in September 2015. 

The Frenchman’s agent claimed last summer that his colleague wanted to leave the club but his request was not accepted by the manager and the board.

Martial has been in tremendous form, having scored 4 goals in his last 4 games, having started in every one of them.

“I know the club wants him very much to stay, so hopefully he is going to stay. One thing is that he’s a talented player that everybody knows he is – since he was in Monaco, everybody knows he was a talented player.”

“Another thing is, a talented player with consistency and understanding of what a football match is in the globality. So, when you reach that level or when you are almost reaching that level, it’s when you become a player – what I say, a top player because one thing is top talent, another is top player.”

“So, when he is now much closer to being a top player, obviously I would like him to stay.”

The former Monaco star scored 11 goals from 45 appearances last season and couldn’t find a place in the France’s squad for the World Cup last summer, which they won after a gap of 20 years.

Nevertheless, the winger has always been an impressive player and with him hitting top form just when United needed him the most with the controversies that have been doing the rounds this season. The team is struggling to come up with the dominant performances that we are so used too now. It is imperative now more than ever that Martial is retained by the Red Devils to take this season ahead.