Anthony Martial’s form in the previous month has been particularly on the rise. The Frenchman had some superb performances, showing why Man United bought him in the first place, but also why it was frustrating not seeing him at his best for some time.
The match against Juventus was another one where he shined, showing his potential at a big stage. We have seen him before do something similar, we have also seen him solving matches on his own, but this was a big away game in Europe and not a one-off, but it came in continuation of his previous matches. What have we learned about him this season, after all?
Rocky Start And Maturity
It was this summer that Anthony Martial had some issues with Jose Mourinho. The manager was reportedly not satisfied with the player for the lack of proper effort, but also because of his prolonged break when Martial became father. It was then that Mourinho publicly criticized him and at that point it looked like point with no coming back. But this is what the manager said about him after the Juventus win.
“It is up to his talent, because he has phenomenal talent. It was just a question of him understanding what a top player is because there is a big difference between a top talent and a top player.”
“I never gave up. I never gave up my feelings that this was the right way for him, even if he had to go through difficult moments. I knew that for him to become a really top player, he needed to overcome some barriers that I put on the road for him.”
These are some telling quotes. Martial seems to be maturing, which is normal for a player of his age, but also a person of his age. We often forget how many things there are happening off the pitch and this could be a real insight into Martial growing up. It is not the worst thing in the world if a player at 22 is still having some insecurities or slight discipline issues.
Now Is His Time
“No team will want to face him right now. He’s playing like the player we all knew he was. Martial is United’s Eden Hazard. He’s their world class attacking player, the one that can do something special and make things happen when you most need it.”
That is what Paul Ince had to say for BBC following Martial’s recent performances. It is still unrealistic to label the Frenchman as world class, but the point in general is valid. He is THE player that is expected to be one of the main players of the future Man United. He is the one that has the potential to drag teams forward just by his ability and hopefully these performances will be a trigger for continuation of his growth.
This is his time. He can become the player that will score 20+ goals and 10+ assists per season. His potential really is that big. But Martial will need to continue working hard, improving his off the ball movements and getting into right positions more often. Not all of that is down to him alone, there is the team factor as well, but nevertheless, Martial is the one to make that leap forward in the coming years.
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