Mourinho Orders Club To Offload Martial And Replace Him With Rakitic
Reuters / Andrew Yates
Transfer rumours continue to be the talk of the town, as race for the January transfer window builds up.
Surprisingly, Anthony Martial finds himself amongst the speculations despite starting the 2017-18 season with a lot of zeal.
Report claims that the Old Trafford unit is preparing a shock transfer swap involving midfielder Ivan Rakitic from Barcelona.
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The Croatian is being considered as a contender to add more solidity and experience in United’s midfield, despite the club having a host of players in that position.
Rakitic has been a pivotal asset for the Catalans over the last few seasons, and it will be interesting to see whether Barca does approve of such a swap deal.
Martial and Marcus Rashford have been playing for United on the left-wing position, as both players fight it out for one key slot. So far, Jose Mourinho has rotated them wisely, with both making great impacts. But it is the Englishman who is still preferred as the No. 1 choice in that position.
Reuters / Lee Smith
Martial has already netted 3 goals in the Premier League, and his impact has been solid when coming on even even from the bench. Jose had doubts over the Frenchman last season, but has praised the youngster this term for working hard and showing massive improvement.
Also, the scenario wherein Barca sign Martial will only arise if they fail to land Phillipe Coutinho from Liverpool. With Ousmane Dembele injured for a lengthy spell, the Spanish outfit is likely to add more firepower.
For now, though, Martial needs to keep doing the right things and show his worth to Jose, and if his consistency level keeps up, then any deal regarding the player will be off the table.
Written by Rajdeep Saha 
Sports journalist with stints across print, digital and television. Contribution to each medium has been thrilling. Experienced in writing for this passionate game called football. Journalist by choice and passion.