War of words erupts between Manchester United striker Anthony Martial and Ralf Rangnick

A war of words has erupted between Anthony Martial and Ralf Rangnick as the France striker’s attempts to leave Manchester United turn ugly.

Rangnick claimed that Martial refused to be in United’s squad for Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Aston Villa, but Martial has hit back at Rangnick by refuting the interim United manager’s claims.

Martial has already told Rangnick he wants to leave Old Trafford this month and is hoping a loan deal can be struck with Sevilla.

But United have insisted they will not sanction a move unless suitors are prepared to cover all of his £200,000 a week wages and stump up a loan fee.

Now the situation is coming to a head amid a game of claim and counter claim, with Martial dismissing Rangnick’s accusations.

“I will never refuse to play a match for Man Utd," the 26-year-old posted on his Instagram account.

"I've been here for seven years and I never disrespected and will never disrespect the club and the fans."

Rangnick only named eight substitutes against Villa, when United threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2. The result left them 24 points adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Rangnick has admitted in recent weeks to omitting Martial from his squad due to the player’s desire to leave, but he claimed Martial’s omission against Villa was of the forward’s choosing.

"He didn't want to be in the squad," said Rangnick after the Villa match. "He would have been in the squad normally but he didn't want to and that was the reason why he didn't travel with us (on Friday).”

Martial has not started a Premier League game since 2 October and has not featured at all since the 3-2 win against Arsenal on 2 December.

The Frenchman, 26, joined United from Monaco in 2015 for a fee that eventually reached £44 million but has struggled to fulfil his promise.

Jose Mourinho was keen to offload Martial in the summer of 2018 but United refused to sanction a sale, one of several factors behind the downturn in relations between the Portuguese and the club that culminated in his sacking in December 2018.

The following month, under then interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Martial signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract with United until June 2024 with the option of another year.