Martial better than expected

Anthony Martial has impressed former Manchester United defender Gary Neville with his goal-scoring since his transfer from Monaco. The 19-year-old moved to Old Trafford for an initial sum of $78 million and added to his debut strike against Liverpool last weekend by netting a double in United’s 3-2 win against Southampton. His early performances have impressed Neville, who admitted he was sceptical over whether the Frenchman had the potential to become a clinical finisher. “Could he step up from being a 15 [goals] in 70 [appearances] man to a one in two man?


Can he get to that level? Difficult,” Neville told Sky Sports. “I never thought he’d even be close to that but he’s shown in the first couple of weeks he’s got the composure to score goals. “I wouldn’t have imagined that he would have had the composure that he’s had, because his goal-scoring record before he came to Manchester United was 15 goals in 70 games, which doesn’t suggest he’s got that level of composure.” Neville also said Martial has made a statement by hitting the ground running despite the question marks over his signing.

“There’s huge pressure on him, he’ll be aware of that – the expectation, the price tag,” Neville said. “To be redundant in the game for 30 minutes and then show that composure and class at that moment says a lot about him. He’s made a big impression on all of us.” United’s manager Louis van Gaal however, believes it is inevitable Martial will experience a dip in form at some stage this season. Van Gaal has warned people not to expect too much from the 19-year-old. “When you are 19 years old, you cannot expect consistency,” Van Gaal said. “Normally you have dips in form, so I also expect that from him. In three matches, he has shown his talent and that he is at a high level. “He has shown he can play in our system. He has shown he wants to do that and he can do that. “His best attribute? That he scores goals of course… “He’s talented. He can improve, but he has a high level of talent and he shows it, and he also shows it under great pressure. “He has a great start with three goals in three games.”