Eric Bailly feels his Manchester United teammate Anthony Martial ‘needs affection’ in order for him to play his best football.
The Frenchman joined La Liga side Sevilla on loan for the remainder of the campaign last month.
Sevilla’s new number 22 told United’s interim boss Ralf Rangnick in December that he wished to leave the club in the January transfer window.
Julen Lopetegui has started the 26-year-old in both of the La Liga matches Sevilla have played since joining the club.
The former Monaco man registered his first goal contribution for his new club with an assist for the former Wolves man Rafa Mir in the 2-0 win against Elche.
Before Martial’s move to the La Liga giants was confirmed, Sevilla midfielder Joan Jordan used his Manchester United connections to good effect.
Jordan and Bailly played 19 times together for the Espanyol B team, but before Martial arrived in Seville, the Spaniard asked the Ivorian how to get the best out of the Frenchman.
Speaking via MARCA when asked about the club’s January signings, Jordan said: “Anthony [Martial], I talked to my friend and brother Eric Bailly, before he arrived, and he spoke well to me, that he needed affection and to feel important. Not bad.
“Very happy with the two additions [Martial and Tecatito Corona], which give us a leap of quality.”
Sevilla host Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League tonight, but there have been some question marks raised about Martial’s fitness ahead of the first-leg.
Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo state that Martial has been training alone in the build-up to the clash.
It’s clear that Martial is likely to receive greater affection at Sevilla than Manchester United when he is sharing a dressing room with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes.
Anthony Martial has the environment he craved he now needs to back that up with match-winning performances.
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