Anthony Jordan Martial is in the form of his life. He is in red hot form and is fulfilling his potential as an ideal Number 9 for the Red Devils. He now occupies the central attacking berth at Old Trafford this season, the position left vacant by Romelu Lukaku after United decided to part ways with the Belgian.
Martial has spent most of his career occupying a role on the flanks, but the role of a striker suits him the best and he rewarded the faith shown by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a career-best return of 22 goals. He is now the focal point in the final third of the field and can even use his incisive pace and direct running to thrive out wide.
The attacker has become a useful striker for Manchester United, chipping in vital goals at regular intervals. He has hugely benefitted from the ammunition provided by players like Fernandes and Pogba and needless to say, his finishes are as clean as a whistle. Fernandes, in an interview, praised the entire team, including Martial, for their improved performances and admitted that the entire team had been working hard on the training ground to play and prove themselves.
Martial came on as a substitute for the injured Eric Bailly just before halftime (That head collision was dreadful…. wishing a speedy recovery) and was one of the highlights for United in their defeat against Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinal. It was only because of the Frenchman that the Red Devils could grab the solitary goal when he was fouled in the penalty box by Callum Hudson-Odoi while making a beautiful run into the box, before a nerveless Bruno Fernandes converted the penalty.
The pair of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have scored a combined 44 goals this season (22 each) (as on today) and have been a revelation this season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The United manager is all praises for the striker-duo. In addition to scoring the same number of goals, they’ve also registered the same number of assists (8) and have an almost identical minutes-per-goal contribution (100 for Rashford and 104 for Martial). Their on-field relationship continues to blossom with each passing day- they always go out with a smile and they defend each other too. Recently, in a match against Crystal Palace, when Wilfried Zaha apparently fouled Rashford and confronted the Englishman, Martial immediately stepped onto the scene to stick up for his teammate, following which Zaha walked away from United’s No. 10.
The youngster has definitely improved his positioning and his finishing skills. His efforts have helped to fire United into contention for a Champions League berth next season (and a top 4 finish in the Premier League) and the fans would love Martial to score in the remaining two fixtures against West Ham and Leicester City to seal the deal for the Men in Red. The Frenchman is only 24, there is still plenty of potential to unlock in his game and could become one of the deadliest strikers in the world.
