Bruno Fernandes wishes Man United team-mate Anthony Martial 'all the best' and hails their 'special connection on and off the pitch' after the French striker got his move away from Old Trafford with a loan to Sevilla

• Bruno Fernandes sent Anthony Martial a good luck message after joining Sevilla
• The Frenchman wanted to leave Manchester United in the January window
• On Tuesday, he joined the Spanish side on a loan deal until the end of the season
• Fernandes hailed their 'special connection on and off the pitch' on Instagram 

Bruno Fernandes has paid tribute to Anthony Martial following his departure from Manchester United to Sevilla, hailing their 'special connection' both on and off the pitch.

The French striker officially joined the Spanish side on loan until the end of the season on Tuesday after telling United he wanted to leave Old Trafford this month.

The LaLiga side agreed to cover the Frenchman's wages though there is understood to be no option to buy him permanently at the end of the deal. 

There were tentative approaches from other clubs such as Newcastle and Tottenham but Martial was keen to go abroad. Juventus and Barcelona were also interested but did not want to take on his salary.

Martial only made 11 appearances for the Red Devils this season scoring once, against Everton on 2 October. 

Despite that, Fernandes looks like he will miss the Frenchman after he posted a touching goodbye on his Instagram story.

The Portuguese midfielder wrote: 'My friend... our connection on and off the pitch was always special.

'Wish you all the best for the rest of the season! Go and shine bro @martial_9'.

Martial joins Sevilla at a time when they are challenging Real Madrid for the Spanish title with 16 games left.

They are also in the Europa League last-32 and take on Dinamo Zagreb. Martial is excited by the prospect of a new start after growing stale and frustrated at United.

Sportsmail revealed last month that Martial, who joined from Monaco for £36m in 2015, had held face to face talks with Ralf Rangnick about how he wanted a change of scenery.

Rangnick then shockingly revealed after United's 2-2 draw at Aston Villa earlier this month that Martial had refused to link up with the squad for the Premier League clash in the Midlands, but the Frenchman denied those claims. 

In an Instagram post later that same evening, Martial revealed he would 'never disrespect the club and the fans' by refusing to play as he continued to deny Rangnick's allegations.