A former Manchester United forward, who made over 300 appearances for the club, has been hit with disciplinary action
Life after Manchester United hasn’t been a walk in the park for Anthony Martial.
The Frenchman, who scored 90 goals in 317 appearances for the club, has reportedly been banished from first team training at his current club Monterrey. It came after he threw a strop after being overlooked as a substitute during their clash with Chivas de Guadalajara last weekend.
According to Mexican outlet TUDN, Martial was left fuming when youngster Joaquin Moxica was brought on from the bench instead of him with 15 minutes to go while Monterrey were 3-0 down.
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His angry reaction was spotted by coaching staff, who reported it to manager Nicolas Sanchez. As punishment, Martial was ordered to train away from the main group until the end of the week.
Despite Martial’s protests, the decision proved inspired: Monterrey surged back late on, scoring twice to cut the deficit to 3-2 and set up a tense finish. Ultimately, however, Guadalajara held firm to secure the victory.
It’s perhaps no surprise that Martial was overlooked on Sunday given his struggles in Mexico. Since joining Monterrey last September, the 30-year-old has managed just one goal in 21 appearances.
Martial moved to Old Trafford in 2015 for an initial £36million fee – the highest ever paid for a teenager at the time. With add-ons and bonus clauses – including one now-infamous Ballon d’Or-winning stipulation – the transfer fee could have risen to £57.6m, though United ultimately paid £44.7m.
His career in Manchester started brightly, with Martial scoring against Liverpool on his debut. He went on to net 17 goals in all competitions that season and looked destined to become the focal point of United’s attack.
But managerial changes, fluctuating form and recurring injury problems made consistency elusive. In five of his nine seasons at Old Trafford, Martial’s goal tally remained in single figures. He enjoyed a standout 2019/20 campaign, scoring a career-best 23 goals – but managed just 19 across the four seasons that followed.
Midway through the 2021/22 season he was loaned to Sevilla, having spent much of the campaign warming the bench following the summer arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho. However, he struggled in Spain, scoring just once in 12 appearances.
The curtain was finally brought down on Martial’s United career in 2024 when he left following the end of his contract. He subsequently joined AEK Athens before eventually moving to Monterrey a year later.
The France international had to wait 15 games to open his account for Monterrey, finally doing so against relegation-threatened Mazatlan in a match where he also provided two assists. Since then, however, the goals have dried up again.
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