Anthony Martial has announced via social media that he will be return to Manchester United today after attending the birth of his son, Swan Anthony.
The 22-year-old French international left the club’s pre-season tour of the United States with permission for that purpose but failed to return, much to the dismay of manager Jose Mourinho who publicly criticised the player.
“Anthony Martial, he had the baby and after the baby was born, beautiful baby, full of health thank god, he should be here but he is not here,” he told MUTV.
Taking to his personal Twitter account, the player exercised his right to reply in what was an apparent explanation of his actions.
"Thank you all for your posts," he said yesterday. "My little Swan is fine, for the mom it was harder but thanks to God she's better now. Sorry but my family will always come first... Back tomorrow in Manchester."
Martial was expected to report to training yesterday at the club’s Carrington base but did not appear, and it’s expected that he will be reprimanded on his arrival today. Reports suggest he'll be fined two weeks wages for his supposed indiscretion.
The public discomfort between the pair has done nothing to slow down chatter about the possibility of the Frenchman’s departure from the club following what was a difficult second half to a campaign for him last season.
The arrival of Alexis Sanchez in January saw his opportunities limited and he subsequently missed out on his place in the France squad that won the World Cup this summer. The former Monaco forward has been linked with moves to PSG, Juventus and Tottenham already in this window and that looks set to continue as the countdown to deadline day winds down.
