Why Anthony Martial has proven he deserves a sustained run in the Manchester United team

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Manchester United have been impressive recently and Jose Mourinho is cleverly managing his squad, with the club competing in four competitions. They have already reached one final this season, but that won’t be enough for a winner like Mourinho. He will want his side to be as successful as possible and although they are some way from competing for the league title, they can win the other three competitions that they are in. They can’t afford to get ahead of themselves, but they have been given a nice draw in the FA Cup as they face Blackburn Rovers this weekend. If they win this one, they will be in the last eight and they will certainly be seen as contenders to retain their trophy.

Anthony Martial has had a mixed few months under the management of Jose Mourinho and there had been rumours that he could leave the club in January, but they were quickly put to bed by the club. They have invested a lot of money in the French international and they won’t want to give up on him too easily. The last few weeks have shown improvement from the Frenchman, culminating in an excellent display against Saint-Etienne on Thursday night. There is a long way to go, but he has shown enough to earn a sustained run in the first team.

This season, Martial has played 24 times for Manchester United, but he hasn’t been as central to the team as he was last year. There were always going to be changes made by Mourinho and the signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic has restricted his opportunities to play as a striker. However, no player in the squad has made the left wing role their own. Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, and Wayne Rooney have all operated there, but Martial does seem to be the best option for the long term.

At the age of 21, he can be moulded into the player that best suits Manchester United. After a short period out of the firing line, Martial has started the last two matches and delivered two excellent performances. It is evident that he has taken on board whatever he has been told by the Manchester United coaching staff and he deserves credit for that. His mentality and work rate have been questioned, but he has provided the perfect answer to his critics.

Against Watford, he contributed a goal and an assist, which has launched his name back into the headlines, but it was his work rate that will have impressed Mourinho most. He put himself around a lot more and was more positive in possession of the ball. Martial looked to make things happen and that added an extra dimension to United’s attack. They have been over-reliant on Zlatan Ibrahimovic in recent weeks, but the additions of Martial and Mata have added a greater goal threat to the side. Although he didn’t contribute a goal or an assist against Saint-Etienne, he caused a number of problems for the French side and it is obvious that confidence is brimming from his game.

It has taken time for Jose Mourinho to find his best team, but the 4-3-3 formation has been working for months. The main problem has been a lack of goals, but he has made some small alterations with Juan Mata and Anthony Martial being brought into the side. There are a lot more goal threats on the pitch for United now and their attacking play has remained incredibly entertaining. Martial now needs to show that he can be consistent. That is the one thing that has been missing from his game since he arrived in England. He deserves a run in the team to show that he can now deliver that and become a part of Mourinho’s long-term plans.

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