Anthony Martial had his Manchester United No9 shirt ripped off him and given to Zlatan Ibrahimovic without his knowledge
French striker has been downgraded to No11 to make room for the Swede superstar and his giant ego at Old Trafford
MANCHESTER UNITED ripped the No9 shirt away from Anthony Martial and gave it to Zlatan Ibrahimovic - without telling him.
Martial, 20, has been downgraded to No11 so that Swede superstar Ibra can feel like the main man.
But Martial - a £36million signing in September - was never informed of the decision, according to RMC Sport journalist .
It was revealed last week that Jose Mourinho taunted Ibrahimovic, 34, into linking up with him at the Red Devils.
The seasoned striker is well known for having an ego as big as his 6ft 4in frame.
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And being given the No9 jersey - worn by the likes of Brian McClair and Andy Cole - is sure to feed the former Paris Saint-Germain ace's self-image.
Martial is expected to star on the left flank next season and support centre-forward Zlatan.
Mourinho has brought in Ibrahimovic - who donned the No10 jersey at PSG - to add some experience to a forward line of youngsters including Marcus Rashford, 18, and Jesse Lingard, 23.
Martial carried much of the fans' expectations last season as he was seen as the most experienced of the trio.
But now the pressure - and his shirt number - has well and truly been lifted.