Saturday 30 January 2016

Magical Martial a ray of light in a dark season

Anthony Martial may not have scored at Derby but he was the best player on the pitch by a distance and has stood out as a shining light in a desperate season.

His pace and trickery gave Rams right-back Cyrus Christie a torrid time and the only thing missing from his impressive performance was a deserved goal.

Martial continues to buck the trend with his creativity, quick feet and direct style in stark contrast to an often uninspiring, one-dimensional and dreary United side. 

Although he has only played 28 times for the Reds, in that time he has shown exceptional talent that will be at the heart of the United attack for many years to come.
The 20-year-old Frenchman has all the attributes and - more importantly - seemingly the attitude to go on and become a club legend at Old Trafford.

Right from the start and that blistering debut against Liverpool, it's felt like we've been witnessing the beginning of something special and, far from the waste of money he was written off as upon arrival, he has proved to be Louis van Gaal's best piece of business at United. 

There are many - myself included - who still believe he should played through the middle as an out-and-out striker, but with match winning performances like Friday's, its hard to argue with his inclusion on the left hand side.

True, it was only Championship opposition but he bamboozled Branislav Ivanovic, the league's best full-back last season, when Chelsea came to Old Trafford and he dismantled Angel Rangel in an inspirational performance in the win over Swansea earlier this month.

Many teams will double up on Martial as they did with Angel Di Maria but if we can shift the ball left quickly and get him driving to the byline, this side will soon start scoring more.

Eventually, Martial looks likely to end up through the middle with licence to roam the flanks but for now we need to utilise his pace on the left hand side. 

He scored the winner in that game and even during the side's winless run of nine games and the bleakest of Decembers, Martial stood out as a lone beacon of hope.
He scored the opener on that now infamous night in Wolfsburg, netted in defeat against Norwich and tried his best to inject life into United on that desperate day in Bournemouth just before Christmas.


Of the 12 players Van Gaal has signed since he took charge, only really Martial and Daley Blind have proved to be of United standard but in the young Frenchman, the Reds have unearthed a gem who will surely only continue to get better and better. 











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