Anthony Martial has enjoyed a mini-resurrection at Manchester United over pre-season and the forward is in with a good chance of starting the season as the club’s first-choice striker.
The last two years have been difficult for Martial and going into this season, it seemed like United were desperate to sell him in order to fund signings.
The uncertainty over Cristiano Ronaldo’s future has, however, thrown those plans into doubt and Martial is yet to put a foot wrong after two pre-season games.
After goals against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory, Martial has spoken about his return to the club after six months at Sevilla, insisting that he’s ‘really happy’ with his comeback so far.
Read more: Man Utd monitoring Premier League striker amid Cristiano Ronaldo uncertainty
“I’m really happy to be back with Manchester United,” Martial is quoted as saying by The Mirror. “I was really happy to score the two goals and I hope I’ll do the same in the next game.”
Crystal Palace are United’s next opponents in Melbourne before they make the trip to Perth, where Aston Villa will be awaiting them for the final game of their tour of Australia.
SN’s verdict…
Martial’s talent is undeniable but after seven years at the club, United are still waiting for that to be captured on a consistent basis. It can be argued that in seven seasons, only two have been good.
It’s up to Erik ten Hag to get the best out of Martial and thus far, it’s looking like whatever he has been telling him is doing the trick.
United’s Premier League curtain-raiser against Brighton is less than three weeks away and with Ronaldo still not back for training, it’s likely that Martial will start the game against Graham Potter’s side. A goalscoring start to the season could ease any fears over potentially losing Ronaldo, who was United’s top scorer last season with 24 goals.