30th December 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
When Anthony Martial finished his hugely positive first season of English Premier League football roughly six months ago, most would've predicted there'd be no chance that he might be leaving Manchester United by January 2017.

But fast forward to now, however, and it would appear a very real possibility that the man who scored a eye catching 17 goals last campaign could be on his way out. Since Jose Mourinho took over in the summer, Martial, who joined the club in a whopping deal worth £58 million back in September 2015, just hasn't managed to gain the complete trust of the typically robust Mourinho.

The Portuguese boss has told the 21-year-old he wants him to work harder and earn his spot, urging the player to be patient with his methods. "Anthony is very, very young. People forget that and last season Manchester United played completely differently. He was basically playing up front," Mourinho explained.

"The team had lots of passive ball possession, just waiting to put it into space for Anthony to go and score a goal. This season is more difficult. He needs a little bit of time to improve. I try to give him chances, in fact, I gave him good chances because I played him against Tottenham and I played him against Arsenal. I played him in some big matches, it's taking a little bit of time.

"But, great kid. Good boy, he wants to improve, he's a good professional. I have no fears, I am sure that he will be there."

Having scored just one goal in 11 appearances, Sevilla's shrewd transfer specialist, Monchi, has cleverly identified that the disgruntled sensation would be a super addition to their squad for the second half of the season. Sevilla's manager, Jorge Sampaoli, whose team plays a tactical sophisticated, usually high octane brand of football, has already apparently given Monchi the go ahead to try and make the deal happen too.

Even though if any agreement was to be reached, it would almost certainly be a loan, bringing in some crucial back up for the likes of Luciano Vietto, Wissam Ben Yedder and Vitolo would be a real coup for the Andalusian outfit. For Martial, getting the chance to learn from such a tactical genius like Sampaoli, would be absolutely fantastic for his development, regardless of whether the deal was permanent or just a loan.

When speaking to ABC Sevilla, Martial's agent, Philippe Lamboley, interestingly stated that the move is definitely something that's being looked into seriously. "We are studying the Sevilla option in detail," Lamboley said.

"Sevilla are a very good club, are in a good position in La Liga, play in the Champions League and have a great coach. That's all I can tell you."

Considering not long ago that Martial commented that he was willing to fight through this tough period he's currently enduring with the Red Devils, maybe he truly believes that a move away is precisely what's best for him.

Despite the fact Martial's hefty £65,0000 a week salary might potentially prove a stumbling block in any potential deal, there's no doubting what a tremendous addition the French international would be to Los Nervionenses.

He boasts frightening pace, is a real handful in 1v1 scenarios, courtesy of direct yet unpredictabe dribbling ability, plus he's an instinctive mover and is a very adept finisher. Put simply, the former Monaco man who holds the mantle of the most expensive teenager ever, would give Sevilla another dimension in attack, for he possesses such a uniquely dynamic, multifaceted skillset.

While Sevilla's fans will be feeling a palpable sense of excitement about the prospect of Martial joining, at this stage, though, there's realistically a greater chance of him staying in Manchester than moving to Seville.

Stranger things have unquestionably happened, so this story will definitely be a case of watch this space. Either way, this January transfer window looms as a very important time in Martial's future.

Many in England and Spain will be anxiously awaiting his decision.

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