Anthony Martial finds himself at the centre of an escalating cold war between Jose Mourinho and Manchester United

It’s impossible not to see the news of an impending contract for Martial as further erosion of Mourinho's power. But it is not quite as overt as that

When Anthony Martial’s camp again sat down with Manchester United after what had been a difficult and uncertain summer for the French star, one thing was made clear: The 22-year-old would be given full support by the club in the future.

Talk of Martial’s “fractious relationship with Jose Mourinho” was not mentioned, although it barely needed to be, since it is the issue that underlays so much of this.

For many around Old Trafford, this is the latest manoeuvre in an escalating cold war between manager and club – one that has already seen some sparks and may yet explode.

Mourinho was so insistent on getting rid of what he saw as an unresponsive player that it’s impossible not to see the news of an impending contract as just more erosion of his power, another sign that he is not really being backed.

But it is not quite as overt as that, since United want to naturally look beyond the short term in all aspects, and that is what much of this is about.

It is calculated, and both a football decision and a business decision.

United were prepared to pay what was such a high price for Martial in the summer of 2015 because they saw what is unquestionably true: he has the base talent to be among the best in the world. He can be a super-lucrative “galactico”, and one that can prove to be smart investment in time.

It certainly looked like that in his first two seasons at United. His dribbling and technical close control alone are at such an elevated level, almost making him unique.

It has not looked like that in his two seasons so far under Mourinho, though. The Portuguese and those around him would fairly question whether Martial actually has the mentality and drive to make good on that talent.

But this is where we get to the crux of the matter.

Is it that Martial does not have the mentality, or that Mourinho does not have the capacity to man-manage players of that mentality?

Does Mourinho have the capacity to manage players of Martial’s mentality? (Getty Images)

It is an increasingly fair question, before even citing the prominent examples of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah.

United do not want such a situation or lost player, and it is telling that a manager like Mauricio Pochettino has no questions about Martial’s mentality. He believes he could get the best out of him.

Swirling around this is the fact that many of the current United players are openly talking to each other about whether Mourinho himself has long left. Some who know Martial say he would be content to sit it out on the bench in the short term, because of the belief signing a new contract means he would outlast the manager in the long term.

That is how uncertain the whole situation at Old Trafford has become, how messy it is.

Nonetheless, it’s telling that the club have attempted to clear everything up with Martial. It seems, then, that the ball is back in Mourinho’s court.