Anthony Martial shirt number: Zlatan Ibrahimovic handed star's No. 9 shirt - prompting cryptic Facebook posts

The Frenchman has been offered the No. 11 shirt instead, previously occupied by Adnan Januzaj, is a move some supporters have interpreted as a slap-down by manager Jose Mourinho

Anthony Martial posted the picture around the same time as the announcement (Getty)

Anthony Martial appears to have posted a host of cryptic Facebook posts at Manchester United after they stripped the striker of his No. 9 shirt and handed it to new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Frenchman has been offered the No. 11 shirt instead, previously occupied by Adnan Januzaj, in a move some supporters have interpreted as a slide down the hierarchy at Old Trafford.

Ibrahimovic, a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, celebrated the decision by posting a graphic boasting about his new shirt number to his 17m followers on Instagram.

The saga has been made decidedly more awkward for both the club and the players involved after Martial launched his ‘AM9’ brand on Facebook, with a neatly designed logo featuring the No. 9 prominently.

The 20-year-old also elected to change his ‘cover’ photo to one of him celebrating his last-gasp winner against Everton in the FA Cup semi-final, again with the No. 9 as the main object of focus.

To advertise the launch of their new adidas home strip, United tweeted last night: “Zlatan 9? Rooney 10? Martial 11? Get your new home kit now.”

Zlatan boasts on Instagram

It remains to be seen if Martial is just posting in jest or out of grievance but social media has been set ablaze by the developments.

The saga follows chaotic scenes in China after Mourinho was forced to hold a pre-match press briefing on the side of the stadium pitch due to stifling conditions inside the conference room.

Earlier, half the squad were re-routed to an airport 160 miles outside of Beijing with the flight from Shanghai diverted as a result of adverse weather in the Chinese capital.