Anthony Martial at risk of being left stuck at Man Utd after transfer plea

Anthony Martial could find himself frozen out of the picture at Manchester United because his pleas for a transfer are currently falling on deaf ears.

Martial is frustrated by his situation at United, having made just 10 appearances this season, six of which have come from the substitutes' bench.

His agent Philippe Lamboley went public with his grievance last week, declaring that his client "wishes to leave the club in January".

Despite his unhappiness, Martial is under contract with United until June 2024 and the club also have the option to extend his deal by a further year.

Martial's contractual situation and the fact he earns £250,000 per week, according to Sky Sports, after signing a bumper contract extension in January 2019, means he is far from guaranteed to get his wish.

ESPN reports that United are yet to receive a single serious enquiry about Martial's availability since Lamboley's comments over a week ago.

There is little appetite on a transfer market which is currently depressed by the coronavirus pandemic for a player who would command a sizable fee and substantial wages.

United are willing to listen to offers, with Ralf Rangnick keen to work only with players who want to be at the club.

Rangnick gave Lamboley's comments short shrift when asked about them last week.

"To be honest, what his agent says via the media is not of that much interest to me," he said bluntly. "It should be the player."

Martial is yet to play under Rangnick due to a knee injury and faces strong competition for places once he is yet fit to play.

Rangnick has played Cristiano Ronaldo alongside Marcus Rashford in recent games and also has Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani available up front.

Martial joined United from Monaco in a £36million move in September 2015 and has gone on to contribute 79 goals and 50 assists in 268 appearances for the club.

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But his star has faded in 2021 and former United defender Gary Neville believes the club should grant him his wish, if a decent bid does arrive in January.

"I think if they can get good money for him," he said.

"I think that now the time has come. I think Manchester United have always been wary of getting burned, of him leaving for £25m and then going on to become a £100m player because he is a special talent.

"I just don't think he'll ever work at Old Trafford to the extent they've got Rashford, Greenwood, Ronaldo, Cavani, other players as well.

"I just think now is the time for him to leave and go and play regular football so I think it's the right time."