The arrival of the Portuguese superstar pushed Martial down the pecking order at Old Trafford, and the 26-year-old chose to join Sevilla on loan in the January window after making only two Premier League starts in the first half of the season.
While Ronaldo has continued to be successful this season, scoring 18 goals in 31 games, there have been some concerns about his role in the team and impact on the other players.
In addition to allegations of tension with some of his teammates, Ronaldo publicly stated that the team’s younger players were not listening to his advise and questioned the squad’s mentality.
When he was left out of the side that lost to Manchester City last week, he is believed to have astonished his teammates by flying home to Portugal – though he replied by scoring a hat-trick against Tottenham.
Now, Martial, who spent several months playing and training alongside Ronaldo, has dismissed claims that the 37-year-old is a tough character, insisting that everyone in the group got along with him.
‘Cristiano is a top professional, one of the best in the history of the game,’ Martial told AS when asked if Ronaldo was an issue in the dressing room.
‘He is adored by all of us. There are several things that are falsely reported in the media. I was in that changing room and witnessed the incident.’
Martial, who returns to England on Thursday to face West Ham in the Europa League last 16, also hinted that his Sevilla loan will not be extended and that United are well aware of his desire to leave this summer.
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‘I begged United to leave because I wanted to play, but I still have a contract,’ he stated. They already know what I want, so we’ll see how things turn out at the end of the season. I’m only here for the last few weeks of the season.’
‘I had a lot of possibilities, but I talked to the manager [Julen Lopetegui] and Monchi and I thought Sevilla was the best opportunity to play and enjoy football again since I lost it a little bit in Manchester,’ he stated when asked why he chose Sevilla.
‘I wasn’t playing, and I knew that if I moved to Sevilla, I’d be able to play and have a good time.’ In Sevilla, I’m in a great mood. The city is beautiful, and we have a great team, so it’s ideal for me. I’m having fun because I’m playing.’
