Anthony Martial has a huge season ahead of him.
And the Manchester United forward is wasting no time with his attempts to play his way into manager Jose Mourinho’s first team plans.
So often criticised by Mourinho for his mentality, Martial must be aware of the fact that the 2017/18 campaign is something close to make-or-break for him.
What’s never been in question is the Frenchman’s natural ability, the same ability that convinced United to shell out £36 million to acquire his services two years ago.
Will Mourinho be tempted? https://t.co/qYUmfERu3q
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) July 16, 2017
Inconsistency has plagued Martial in the past and Mourinho made no secret of his belief that he can’t quite trust 21-year-old to perform week in, week out.
Martial started the Red Devils’ preseason clash with Real Madrid in California and he reminded everyone of the brilliance he’s capable of on the stroke of half-time.
The former Lyon forward took possession of the ball on the left flank and turned Real’s right back inside out as he rampaged into their box.
Superb run from Martial. Against one of the best fullbacks in the world as well. https://t.co/xVzp312yDy
— . (@TheUtdReview) July 23, 2017
You’d never have guessed that Dani Carvajal is one of the most competent full-backs in the world as he was bamboozled by the tenacity and close control of Martial while Luka Modric simply couldn’t come close to dispossessing him.
In the past we’ve seen Martial make the incorrect decision when he finds himself in promising positions but there was no such issue on Sunday night as he got his head up and glided the ball across the six-yard box and into the path of Jesse Lingard, who made no mistake and opened the scoring.
There has been talk of Martial moving to Inter Milan this summer, with Ivan Perisic going in the opposite direction.
But if the France international is able to pull off skill like the above on a regular basis, United supporters simply won’t want to part ways with him.
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