December 2nd 2024.
Anthony Martial's former teammate Phil Jones has recently revealed that the French forward was often late for training and team meetings during his time at Manchester United. In a candid interview, Jones shared his thoughts on Martial's attitude towards punctuality and how it reflected on his work ethic. As Jones has retired from football and started his career as a pundit, he has also expressed his desire to become a coach in the future.
During his time at Manchester United, Jones played alongside some of the biggest names in world football, including Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Ryan Giggs. He also shared the dressing room with players who struggled to meet expectations after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, such as Martial, who also faced injury issues during his stay at the club. However, Jones revealed that Martial's approach to timekeeping was not helping his situation, as he was often late for training, meetings, and even the team bus.
When asked about the player who was consistently late, Jones jokingly responded, "How long have we got?" before revealing Martial's name. He also shared an anecdote about the fines that Martial must have accumulated for his tardiness, to which he admitted that it didn't seem to bother the Frenchman too much. Jones also suggested that Martial was one of the most fined players in the squad.
This is not the first time that the character and mentality of the post-Ferguson United dressing room has been questioned. In 2021, Wayne Rooney wrote in his column for The Times about an incident where he found Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard dancing in the dressing room after a defeat. Rooney, being a senior player, turned off the music and took away the speakers, citing his old-school mindset. However, in hindsight, he admitted that Pogba and Lingard were not doing anything wrong and that it was his traditional approach that caused him to react that way.
In a recent conversation with Jones, Rio Ferdinand elaborated on Rooney's story, admitting that he even called up the former United captain to address such behaviour. Ferdinand recalled asking Rooney about the incident and how he allowed it to happen. Rooney's response was that it was no longer the same as before, and that there would be a big group of players who would think he was crazy if he said anything. This incident shows how the culture and dynamics of the United dressing room have shifted over the years.
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