Martial hits back at Mourinho after going AWOL

Cape Town - Anthony Martial has hit back at Manchester United amid reports he is set to be fined by the club for going AWOL following the birth of his son in Paris last week.

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The Frenchman tweeted on Wednesday that complications with the birth meant that he had remained in Paris to be with his wife

"Thanks for all your posts," wrote Martial. "My little Swan is fine but for the mother it is harder. Thanks to God she is better now. Sorry but my family will always come first, back tomorrow in Manchester."

Martial’s update comes after reports suggested that United are about to fine the 22-year old for missing a week of training during the crucial pre-season period, an episode that looks set to do more damage to his already strained relationship with manager Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho told reporters in Miami on Tuesday that he had no idea when the striker would return to training, while club officials were unable to say why the player had not returned to the USA following the birth.

Martial spent most of last season on the bench at United, and is reportedly keen to leave Old Trafford.

And as if to highlight the breakdown in his relationship with Martial, Mourinho took a dig at the French forward with his comments in the wake of United’s 2-1 win over European champions Real Madrid in Miami.

"My players [have been] amazing in their effort but we have more effort in front of us,” said Mourinho.

"We go to Munich in a few days and we start the Premier League in nine days. These are the players that we have plus Lindelof, that started training two days ago, plus Marcus Rashford, Jones and Lukaku, because they gave to the group and to the team three days of their holidays.

"So, they’re coming back three days early to try and be available for the team [against Leicester on August 10).

"And with the fantastic spirit we have, in the majority of the players, I repeat: in the majority of the players, we have a fantastic spirit, we go with everything we have to the Premier League."

Merci à tous pour vos messages. Mon petit Swan va bien, pour la maman ça était plus difficile mais Grâce à Dieu elle va mieux maintenant. Desolé mais ma famille passera toujours avant Tout... Retour demain à Manchester ????

— Anthony Martial (@AnthonyMartial) August 1, 2018