Few players within Manchester United's squad can be more disappointed with how this season has gone so far than Anthony Martial.
After returning from his underwhelming loan spell at Sevilla and impressing during the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, the Frenchman has seen more of the Carrington treatment room than he has the pitch in recent weeks. A mixture of hamstring and Achilles injuries have restricted him to just two appearances for United so far this season.
Despite limited opportunities to impress, Martial has ensured that he has left his calling card when openings have presented themselves. After getting an assist and producing an excellent performance in the second half of United's 2-1 win over Liverpool in August, the versatile attacker returned and scored twice after coming off the bench in Sunday's 6-3 horror show against Manchester City.
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His rebounded header and well-taken penalty meant absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of the contest, but they sent a timely reminder to Erik ten Hag that he is ready to make a name for himself in United colours once again. Martial looked rejuvenated in pre-season, scoring three goals, and United trialled him in a front-three alongside Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho for much of it.
It was clear that he was in line to spearhead United's attack for the season opener against Brighton, only for a hamstring injury in the days leading up to the game to rule him out. Such was the way he played in pre-season, his predatory instincts and ability to break the lines with his pace are clearly valued by Ten Hag, who appears to consider him higher up the pecking order than Cristiano Ronaldo.
Although Martial's two cameo appearances this season have resulted in three direct goal contributions, it is important not to get too carried away and believe he can completely revive his career and rediscover the form he produced in 2019/20. However, as Ten Hag explained back in July Martial is proving that he can get back towards his best if he is fully focused on the task-in-hand and determined to succeed.
Speaking after the 4-1 win over Melbourne Victory in July, Ten Hag said: "I'm sure he can come back even better. I think when he has the right focus and the right motivation and he works hard he will have production because he is a good player.
"I say when he has the right focus and every day delivers much then he will have production and it's up to him."
After scoring twice late on at the Etihad Stadium, Martial has to be in contention to start Sunday's trip to Everton, although United have a trip to Cyprus to face Omonia Nicosia on Thursday night first. The 26-year-old already boasts an impressive strike rate under Ten Hag's guidance, scoring five goals in seven appearances (including friendlies) since the Dutchman landed the job.
Although three of those five goals have come in warm-up fixtures, Martial is proving reliable under Ten Hag, and it is evident that the latter values him. If he stays injury-free and continues in similar vein he will continue to prove his manager right.
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