Anthony Martial’s adviser describes Manchester United as “disrespectful” for giving No9 shirt to Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Anthony Martial's advisor has described Manchester United's decision to strip him of the No9 shirt as "disrespectful and misplaced".
Philip Lamboley admitted his client had been hurt and disappointed by United's decision to give the No9 shirt to new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic this summer.
Ahead of the season, Martial had begun to incorporate the No9 shirt into his personal brand who had even trademarked the "AM9" logo.
In the wake of United's decision, Martial even unfollowed Manchester United on Twitter — an act not unnoticed by United's fans.
"I am not going to lie about it, it hurt him when Manchester United took the No9 jersey off him. He was surprised by it and he was disappointed for a few days," said Lamboley.
"But he is a professional. He knew that he had to fight back. Personally, I did not accept the decision, which I thought was disrespectful and misplaced. I let the United hierarchy know how I felt. You do not do things like that. We turned the page, but not forgotten about it."
Martial had begun to incorporate the No9 shirt into his personal brand ahead of the new season (Source: Getty)
Martial has been on the periphery of manager Jose Mourinho's team this season, but Lamboley insisted their is no bad blood between the pair.
"It is not true that Anthony has a bad relationship with Mourinho," he added.
"They have a professional relationship. I'm sure Mourinho will get the best out of him, just like Louis van Gaal did before him.
"Anthony is very happy at United. We are trying to get out of a bad spell, he is no longer smiling all the time. People who know him know that he likes to smile.
"He is very committed to United and his teammates."