Anthony Martial has silenced all his critics this season, ending the 19/20 campaign as Manchester United’s top goalscorer across all competitions.
With twenty-three to his name, it’s been the Frenchman’s most prolific season to date.
Leading the line, the 24-year-old has flourished in the wake of Romelu Lukaku’s departure last summer, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opting for Martial to be his starting number nine. He has grown to become the main focal point in the final third, with the inside forwards of Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford benefiting from his positioning and hold-up play.
Such form has inevitably led onto high praise for Martial, with former United-legend Dwight York being the most recent to sing his praises.
Speaking on TalkSport, he has compared the striker to some of the all-time greats: “Anthony Martial is like myself, Thierry Henry, maybe Wayne Rooney and even Cristiano Ronaldo – starting on the wing, developing and improving their skills and then get to that number nine position. That’s what Martial is doing now.”
Under Solskjaer, Martial has developed into a top class striker. He has constantly been deployed in this position as the number nine, with such consistency in selection being a contributing factor behind his progression.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s been a productive campaign, with there being more room to grow. Yorke continued to say: “I think Martial will get better, but he needs to play in that position a lot more, He needs to learn his trade. These guys are in their early 20s, I didn’t play as a centre-forward until I was around 24 and if you look at Henry and those guys, they all get to that position around the same age. So it’s a work in progress.
“I understand Man United are there to challenge and they need to bring in players, of course, but the players they have are excellent and it’ll be interesting to see how Ole will develop those players and use them. Ole was a frontman himself, so he should know how to improve these players.
“And look at how many goals Martial has scored this year – he can only get better!”
The Frenchman will continue to serve as a crucial cog in United’s attacking blueprint. So long as the Norwegian is at the reigns, Martial will play a key part in any success the manager tastes at Old Trafford.
Author
