Ashley Young reckons it's about time that Anthony Martial lived up to the mantle of being Manchester United 's No.9.
The Aston Villa defender, who spent four-and-a-half years as Martial's teammate at Old Trafford, crossed paths with the in-form striker as the two teams met in pre-season on Saturday in Perth. As Villa nabbed a 2-2 draw thanks a 93rd-minute equaliser, it was the first game of United's tour that Martial blanked in, having scored three goals on tour previously to help put a nightmare campaign in which he was shipped out on loan to Sevilla behind him.
Showing signs of a resurgence under new manager Erik ten Hag, the 26-year-old has been challenged by Young to grasp his opportunity, as he's currently the Red Devils' only recognised striker after Cristiano Ronaldo handed in a bombshell transfer request.
Following the match, Villa's 37-year-old stalwart took to Instagram and wrote: "End of the tour. Thanks Australia we've enjoyed nearly every minute. Nice to lead this team again." Martial replied in the comments: "My bro," before Young responded by saying: "Was good to see you my bro and thanks for your shirt, good luck for the season bro and it's about time you occupied that No9 shirt."
The message is sure to give the former Monaco prodigy confidence ahead of the new term, as Ten Hag struggles to find an alternative for Ronaldo without dipping into the transfer market. With only two goals to his name last season - one each for United and Sevilla across nine months - Martial will be hoping to rekindle the form he showed during the 2019/20 campaign.
Trusted as the No.9 by ex-boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the France international returned 23 goals in all competitions, as the Red Devils made the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and Europa League, all while finishing fourth in the Premier League. Now it's down to Ten Hag to steer Martial to the same heights, and the Dutch tactician certainly has faith that his firing forward can do just that.
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"I'm sure he can come back even better," Ten Hag stated after Martial's goal in their 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace. "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."
The United gaffer is also pleased to have his entire front line looking fresh, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho also in the goals. "They connect really good together," Ten Hag explained. "I think when you see that, you are lucky as a manager. They are a threat, the team has weapons and we need to improve that every day and develop that further."
Martial's next chance to impress will be against Atletico Madrid in Oslo on Saturday, before a much-changed side made up of fringe players face Rayo Vallecano a day later back at Old Trafford. Ten Hag's first Premier League match will also be at home, as Brighton & Hove Albion come to town on Sunday, August 7.
