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Anthony Martial's wife Melanie has revealed that the Manchester United forward was left "suffering" by Jose Mourinho.

France international Martial found game time under Mourinho, when he was United manager, difficult - with the Portuguese desperate to sell him.

While Mourinho wanted to shift the 23-year-old, Red Devils chiefs made sure to keep hold of the talent, and handed him a new contract a month after Mourinho's sacking.

Mourinho fined Martial for missing a pre-season friendly in the summer of 2018 to attend the birth of his child.

Reports after Mourinho was sacked said that the former Chelsea boss thought Martial was "mentally weak" and "sulked" during matches.

(Image: PA Archive)

Martial has been in top form this season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, after missing a portion of the campaign with an injury.

He has scored six times in 13 Premier League appearances and has also formed a high-quality partnership with Marcus Rashford.

But Melanie Martial Da Cruz has lifted the lid on her family's relationship with Mourinho and how it left the former Monaco star "shutting himself out".

(Image: X03805)

"During our first two years together in Manchester, I experienced a very difficult period because Jose Mourinho did not play him (between 2016 and 2018)," Martial Da Cruz told L’Equipe.

"In these cases, Anthony shuts himself out. You know he’s suffering, but he doesn’t say it. I felt trapped in my sense of injustice because, as a wife, you can’t say anything (to the coach).

"We’re just watching our man go down. I was experiencing it so badly that I didn’t go to certain events so as not to meet the coach."

Asked if she ever considered attacking Mourinho on social media, she replied: "No, never, because Anthony doesn’t want to. You have to stay where you belong. On the other hand, when he came in and scored, I wanted to scream out my pride."