Martial lays down the law as agent claims United striker wants out

Anthony Martial’s agent has dealt Ralf Rangnick an early blow by revealing the striker wants to leave Manchester United. 

Interim boss Rangnick is still assessing the squad he inherited from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after being placed in charge until the end of the season late last month. 

But Martial, 26, is seemingly not keen to hang around after making just seven Premier League appearances so far this term. 

Speaking to Sky Sports News, his representative Philippe Lamboley said: "Anthony wishes to leave the club in January. 

"He just needs to play. He doesn’t want to stay in January and I will speak to the club soon."

France international Martial, who joined United from Monaco in September 2015, still has at least three years left on his contract at Old Trafford. 

The new deal he signed with the club in 2019 includes an option to add a further 12 months to his stay — but that now appears academic. 

United have yet to respond to Lamboley’s claims but Rangnick insists it is too early to talk about potential comings and goings next month. 

Talking ahead of his side’s trip to Norwich tomorrow, the German tactician said: "I’ve got to know the players better during this week. 

"But it’s still too early to talk about what might happen in the winter transfer window. 

"If I look at the number of players we have, it’s still a big squad. We definitely do not have enough players, but we also need to make sure that players want to stay here. 

"If they’re not getting enough game time here, it might make sense to speak individually with the players, but right now it’s still to early to speak about it."

United beat Crystal Palace 1-0 last Sunday as Rangnick took to the dugout for the first time since his appointment.