“He needed affection and to feel important” – Sevilla midfielder reveals what Manchester United man told him about Anthony Martial 

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly reportedly informed Sevilla's Joan Jordan that Anthony Martial needed 'affection' to succeed at the Spanish club. The Frenchman did not get game time at Old Trafford and was on the bench more often than not.

Hence, Martial informed interim manager Ralf Rangnick of his decision to leave Old Trafford, and the German manager decided to let him leave. The striker found himself securing a loan move to Sevilla until the end of the season.

Jordan, who played with Bailly earlier in his career, revealed that he spoke to the Ivorian about the incoming loanee. While speaking to MARCA, the Sevilla star claimed that the only advice he got was to give 'affection' to Martial. He 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."

Manchester United loanee Anthony Martial settling in at Sevilla

Martial has played twice for Sevilla since joining from Manchester United, and the Frenchman seems to be getting on well with his teammates. The club's sporting director, Monchi, spoke to The Times earlier this week and said:

"In these two weeks he's been here, what I see is happiness. When a player has the technical, tactical, physical qualities, what you have to do is touch the perfect spot for these qualities to reappear. And we think we're capable of finding this spot. Possibly it could mean more affection, more support, more trust; speaking more to him, for his family to feel settled, for him to feel important. There's not one model for every player – everyone has their needs."

Manager Julen Lopetegui echoed the same sentiments about the former Manchester United forward. He said:

"He is a footballer who [has] arrived now, the adaptation, the time and the demands are great. He comes from not playing for his team. He can play in several positions. He has that ability, the most important thing is what we do in each game."

Martial registered an assist in the 2-0 win over Elche over the weekend and is looking to score his first goal for the club soon.