Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

‘Inflexible’ Man Utd torpedo their own deal with player preference ignored

Anthony Martial and Eric Bailly Man Utd

Manchester United have caused Sevilla to pull back from their efforts to sign Anthony Martial after a report revealed their inflexibility in negotiations.

Martial’s agent confirmed his client was seeking a new challenge away from Old Trafford this month. The Frenchman has slid down the pecking order in recent seasons. Under interim boss Ralf Rangnick, Martial has been anonymous.

Sevilla had emerged at the front of the pack of clubs chasing the 26-year-old.

The Spanish side are just five points behind table toppers Real Madrid with a game in hand. Adding Martial to the mix could give them the extra burst of firepower to lead them to domestic glory.

A loan deal had been touted, but fresh updates over the proposed move have since gone cold.

Now Spanish outlet Marca (via Football Espana) have shed light on why a deal is no longer likely.

Man Utd won’t compromise over Martial

They state Sevilla’s sporting director, Monchi, has not made contact with United in over a week. The main inhibiter to progress and the cooling of Sevilla’s interest stems from United’s inflexibility over their demands.

The Red Devils were reportedly demanding a buyer pay half of Martial’s wages, as well as serve up a loan fee.

That mirrors what transfer guru Fabrizio Romano recently reported, and the combination has left Sevilla now exploring other options. Marca stated Bologna’s Riccardo Orsolini is on their radar, though Romano later tweeted FC Porto’s Jesus Corona is a likelier target.

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly wanted by AC Milan

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly wanted by AC Milan

Manchester United centre back Eric Bailly is wanted by AC Milan but they have other targets from the Premier League

Sevilla were previously reported to be Martial’s preferred destination if he did depart this month. But despite his preference and obvious desire to leave, United are unwilling to relax their demands at present.

Rangnick previously stated Martial could leave – providing the deal was right for Man Utd. In this situation at least, United are seemingly sticking to their guns – even if it means retaining an unhappy player.

Scholes picks two names to succeed Rangnick

Meanwhile, Paul Scholes has named Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte as his top two choices to replace Ralf Rangnick as Manchester United manager this summer.

Scholes has previously questioned Rangnick’s appointment, claiming it’s ‘astonishing’ that a manager with so few trophies is in charge. And now he has revealed that he wants Conte or Pochettino to take over.

Asked who he views as the ideal replacement for Rangnick, the Red Devils legend told the Webby & O’Neill YouTube channel: “Conte at Tottenham or Pochettino. I think one of those is the manager we want.

“We know that Conte is up there with [Pep] Guardiola, [Jurgen] Klopp and [Thomas] Tuchel. We know that, that’s a given. So I think Man United should be looking for someone like that. Tottenham fans won’t like me saying it, but I think they could probably still get him [in the summer].

“You can already see Conte’s getting a bit frustrated with his players, he wants other stuff. I think Conte could do something special here. He’s got the pedigree to do it. Will we be able to get him in? I don’t know.

“I think Pochettino is a brilliant manager, I love what he does and I love what he did at Tottenham. We don’t know yet what’s happening at PSG. Let’s see if he can prove to be an elite manager. He still has something to prove for me but I think he’s more than capable of doing it.”

Scholes went on to suggest current boss Rangnick’s CV is not up to scratch for a club the size of Man Utd.

READ MORE: Paper Talk: First step toward problem-solving Man Utd transfer taken; Chelsea deal determined within two days