“I don’t think it bothered him too much!” - Phil Jones names ex-Manchester United forward as player who was ‘always late’ for training and meetings

Phil Jones has revealed that former Manchester United forward Anthony Martial was always late for training and meetings. The two players were at Old Trafford together between 2015, when Martial joined, and 2023, when Jones left.

They got to spend nearly a decade together at Carrington, where Anthony Martial apparently had a problem with tardiness. This was revealed by Jones, who made the decision to hang his boots earlier this year.

In a conversation with SPORTbible, he said (via Metro):

"How long have we got? Anthony Martial… always late. Yeah, always late – training, meetings, bus."

The former Manchester United forward racked up quite a few fines for his tardiness, as Jones admitted:

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don’t think it bothered him too much!"

The former defender also revealed that Anthony Martial would easily be one of the most fined players in the Red Devils' squad, adding:

"He’ll be up there, he’ll be up there."

Martial notably joined Manchester United in September 2015 from Monaco for £36 million upfront. At the time, this was the record fee paid for a teenager, who had impressed at Monaco and broken into the France national team. However, he never really reached the heights that were expected of him at Old Trafford.

After scoring 23 goals in 48 appearances in the 2019-20 season, he never completed another season with double-digit goals. Martial eventually left United for AEK Athens, where he has scored three goals in seven games this season.

---

When Graeme Souness slammed Anthony Martial after Manchester United

Earlier this summer, Graeme Souness slammed Anthony Martial after he was released by Manchester United. His exit brought an end to his eight-year stint at Old Trafford, which was marred by injuries and an inability to meet expectations.

A three-year contract with AEK Athens has given the 28-year-old a chance to rejuvenate his career. However, pundit Graeme Souness revealed that he should have left Old Trafford a lot earlier than he did, writing in his Mail+ column (via GOAL):

"I noted this week that Anthony Martial has joined AEK Athens in Greece. Maybe, even at 28, that is his level. I said about four years ago, entering a new season, that it had to be Martial's last-chance saloon. I cannot believe it was only this summer that he finally left the club.

"He didn't have the eye of the tiger, it was not in him. He would flatter to deceive. It was as plain as the nose on the end of your face that he wasn't a Manchester United player. And that was obvious after a couple of seasons."

Despite Martial's exit, alongside a number of players, the Red Devils have continued to struggle, sacking manager Erik ten Hag earlier this season. Ruben Amorim has taken over the reins, leading them to three games without a loss.