Anthony Martial has commended Cristiano Ronaldo's work ethic - but the Manchester United striker has named Wayne Rooney as the best player he's played alongside during his time at the club.
Martial signed for United in a £36million deal back in 2015 and has seen a host of high-profile names come and go during his time at the club. The forward had become a peripheral figure under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but he has impressed new boss Erik ten Hag, who has brought the Frenchman back in from the cold after some impressive pre-season performances.
The 26-year-old has had a number of different strike partners over the years, and unsurprisingly, two of the biggest names to have graced the Old Trafford turf in recent years are held in high esteem by the ex-Monaco man.
When asked about Ronaldo, Martial told France Football: "He’s super humble – and what a hard worker! We often speak when we are at the gym in the morning before going to training and I would watch what he was doing. That’s only logical, it’s Cristiano Ronaldo!"
But although Martial has high praise for Ronaldo, he stops short of naming him as the best player he's played alongside at United; that honour goes to someone else.
He continued: "We have spoken about being genuine and so I can speak about Wayne Rooney. He’s the best player I have played with. He’s always playing for the team, always at 100%, no fuss. A monster. And a model as a footballer."
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Martial may have high praise for some of his current and former teammates, but he is less enthusiastic about some of his previous managers. And he revealed that his stuttering form in recent years can be attributed to the fact that he often played whilst injured during Solskjaer's tenure - something that prevented him from reaching the standards he has previously set in a United shirt.
He added: “For the last two seasons, I have regularly played injured. People don’t know about that. I couldn’t accelerate during the four months of the covid season. But Solskjaer told me he needed me, so I played. Given my game, if I cannot accelerate then it becomes very complicated.
“But the coach did not bother to tell the media and obviously I ended up getting injured. I took it very badly. I had a feeling of injustice.
“You are being asked to sacrifice yourself for the team - and then you are dismissed. For me, it is almost treachery. That’s what I hate. I can be blamed - but not for being fake.”
