“No way any player should be allowed to speak like that” – Rio Ferdinand wants Manchester United to ‘shut down’ player if Rangnick claim is true

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has hit out at Anthony Martial for the way he has handled his situation at the club.

Martial is reportedly set to leave Manchester United soon in search of regular football. The Frenchman does not seem to be part of Ralf Rangnick's plans for the club going forward and is yet to make an appearance under the German this season.

Rangnick also accused Martial of refusing to play for the club in order to force a move away, which the Frenchman has categorically denied doing.

Speaking on his Vibe with FIVE podcast, Ferdinand gave his opinions on the situation as a whole. He said:

"Do you know what? That situation there is a perfect example for the hierarchy of that football club. If Martial isn’t telling the truth there – and I’m not casting any dispersions – but if he’s not telling the truth when he says he’s never refused to play or disrespected the club, if he did refuse then someone at that football club needs to come out and absolutely put this to bed."

"They need to give pure clarity, put a line in the sand, put a flag down and say, “this is us and this is where we’re at. At the moment, Rangnick has come out with what he said and Martial responded and basically said the manager is lying. Someone better come out today or tomorrow and say something. You can’t have a player coming out and belittling what you say. No chance."

He continued:

"He needs to get shut down if it’s true. If Rangnick is right, there’s no way any player should be allowed to speak like that. I don’t understand it. Manchester United can’t allow players to talk like that. There’s a true and a false in this situation and I want to know."

A host of clubs across Europe are reportedly interested in signing Martial this month. However, the Red Devils are only looking to loan out the Frenchman at the moment which is making the deal complicated.

"I will decide if he is selected or not" - Rangnick on Martial playing for Manchester United

Martial in action for the Red Devils

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick addressed the situation ahead of the Red Devils' game against Brentford in the Premier League on Wednesday. The German insisted that everything was now resolved and that Martial is fit and available for selection. He said:

"I had a personal conversation with him on Sunday about what happened and how I saw the whole situation and the matter is now resolved. He did not train yesterday and the day before yesterday, he will probably train today and after training I will decide if he is selected or not."