The last few seasons have been somewhat of a struggle for Frenchman Anthony Martial. The forward has struggled for regular minutes and has hit a plateau in terms of goalscoring. Following his move to Manchester United in 2015 for £36 million, a record for a teenager at that time, its fair to say Martial hasnt gone on to set the world alight.
The 2021/22 season saw Martial spend the second half of it on loan in La Liga with Sevilla, a move that turned out to be underwhelming with the striker only playing 12 times and finding the net just once.
Following the installation of new boss Erik ten Hag, the 2022/23 Premier League season can be seen as a fresh start. With uncertainty around Cristiano Ronaldo and his future, Martials services may be called upon more regularly. Furthermore, with the ageing Ronaldo pressing less and less, Martial could be more suited to the style of play ten Hag prefers.
An impressive start to pre-season has seen Manchester United fans gain new confidence around Martial in the hope that he can produce a big season leading the Red Devils forward line. With 3 goals and 1 assist so far in pre-season, those involved in Manchester United will be hoping this form continues. This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of his performances throughout the pre-season preparations. It will be an analysis of the forwards style of play as well as looking at where he could fit into the new managers tactics.
Player profile
Martial has been deployed as a wide forward, predominantly on the left, and also centrally as a 9. He benefits massively from space in behind as he loves to run past defenders. Martial drifts wide even when played centrally so his teammates must recognise this and ensure someone fills the space he vacates. He tends to drift towards the left where he feels most comfortable.
Martial likes to pull wide to the left as he loves to come inside onto his favoured right foot. His ability to come inside and beat a man is one of his key attributes. Alongside, his pace and strength Martial could be very effective as an inside forward. Manchester United have two very similar players in Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial as both like to play on the left but can also be used as a 9.
In pre-season, ten Hag has deployed the Frenchman centrally with Rashford on the left. Martial is well suited to the striker role as he has good intelligence and makes brilliant runs and off-the-ball movement. His ability to run on the blind side of defenders is exceptional and something that will see him get lots of chances if regularly played as a 9.
