5 areas of concern for Manchester United from their Pre-Season tour of the US

#2 The Anthony Martial Episode

Manchester United v San Jose Earthquakes — Martial and Mourinho have fallen apart in pre-season

Anthony Martial already wanted to leave United before the start of the season. For a club like Manchester United, when one of the best young talents wants to leave, something is definitely wrong.

Martial's relation with Mourinho has gone from bad to worse, but the pre-season in the US brought out another sorrow aspect. Hours before the AC Milan game, Martial left the US to be with his partner for the birth of his child.

Martial was the only recognized striker in the team and even though he was not having a break-through pre-season either, Mourinho needed him so that he could play others in their natural position. Mourinho was furious and did not hide his feelings.

There were even talks that Martial would not return and this was his attempt to engineer a move away from the club. Since then, however, Martial has taken to social media to explain his absence and has also confirmed that he is returning to Manchester United training soon.

The pre-season has brought the animosity between these two out in the open and it is highly unlikely that this is the last we are hearing of the episode.

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Edited by Alan John