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Anthony Martial has hailed the Manchester United fans as the biggest reason to extend his Old Trafford career.

The Frenchman had a sensational first season at the club with Louis van Gaal after signing from Monaco in 2015.

But he has had to be patient at times under Jose Mourinho , and was linked with a loan move to Sevilla in January.

However, the forward is keen to stay at Old Trafford, and has hailed the supporters for building his confidence and making the transition from Monaco to Manchester as easy as possible.

Martial told Inside United : “For me, what’s really special here is the supporters. They’ve been really outstanding with me. I think that’s what goes a long way to making me feel at home and at ease, and makes me really keen to stay here at the club.

“In France, even if you’re one of the best players around, they might begin to boo and jeer you if you go a couple of games without scoring. But here it’s just the opposite, they’ll try to cheer you on so you might be able to score, and so then you grow in confidence.

“I think it’s just a different mentality. That’s why I like the fans here so much.”

A spectacular goal against Liverpool on his debut ensured Martial was quick to win the hearts of those in the stands, and he was honoured with his own chant soon after arriving at the club.

Asked about his chant, Martial added: “Yes, it’s always nice to hear that song. It really pushes you to do even better, it really makes you want to give everything you’ve got to not let those fans down in any way.

“I honestly think that every time they sing it, I always feel just as happy as the first time I heard it.

“I do get messages sent to me by lots of fans and I try to reply to them from time to time. I don’t go on social media that often, though I do try to respond now and again. And in the street, there are always those who shout things like ‘Keep going!’ and ‘I hope you score!’, nice messages of encouragement. It always does you good to hear them.”

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