Anthony Martial enjoying the effect Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United | Football News

Martial scored the ninth goal of the season in the Premier League against Fulham

Anthony Martial impresses under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Like Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial feels the benefits of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's move to Manchester United …

Anthony Martial was in his own half when he recovered Phil Jones's pbad, but he had only one thing in mind. Feeling the mess in Fulham's bottom line, the Frenchman lowered his head and charged forward, quickly moving away from Denis Odoi and past Maxime Le Marchand before opening his body to sneak into the post .

This brilliant moment helped Manchester United win its eighth victory in nine Premier League matches. in the Sky sports In the comment box, Gary Neville compared that to a goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo on the same pitch in 2007. The comparison was then echoed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who said Martial "had the talent" to reach the level. of Ronaldo.

"I'm glad he's on my team," added the Norwegian. "He has contributed to so many chances, so many goals, he is a Manchester United player, he excites the crowd, he excites the manager, he excites his teammates, and he is a great character around the place."

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Gary Neville compared Anthony Martial's goal against Fulham to that of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007, but who was the best?

It is surprising to think that it is only in recent months that everything that has been said about Martial was that José Mourinho was anxious to sell it. The Portuguese did not hide his disapproval when the striker left United's pre-season tour to the United States to witness the birth of his son. Their relationship, it seemed, began to deteriorate to the point of breaking.

It is to Martial's merit that he was able to recover from this situation, regaining his place in the Mourinho team and scoring a series of important goals during his last months in charge. "One thing is the most talented talent, another is the best player," Mourinho said in November. "He is now much closer to being a leading player."

Mourinho felt that Martial was finally producing the kind of effort and application that he was asking his players, but his progress accelerated under Solskjaer. The acting leader released his attackers and, like Pogba and Rashford, Martial took advantage.

His total of two goals and two badists in seven Premier League matches does not say it. He scored seven times in 13 games with Mourinho earlier in the season. Solskjaer makes better use of its badets and statistics prove it. .

The number of underlying attacks of Martial is on the rise

First, Martial sees a lot more ball, his average number of hits increasing from 55 to 90 minutes under Mourinho to 65 now. Solskjaer made it clear that he wanted his attackers to attack. It is therefore not surprising that, free of any defensive responsibility, Martial also creates more chances, multiplying shots and dribbling.

Dribbling statistics are particularly revealing. Martial finishes twice more with Solskjaer, his success rate rising from 33% to 52%. The numbers show that he feels empowered to take risks and also suggest a boost of confidence. "Sometimes, when you're on the ground, it comes down to what comes naturally," he said. Sky sports recently.

Solskjaer's renewed focus on the counterattack certainly allows him to do what comes naturally.

Martial signed a new contract with Manchester United in January

"In the way we play with pace and power, we should never forget our history of counter-attacks, even if we are part of the teams that want to dominate the matches," said Solskjaer. Sky sports last week. "If the teams go down deep, we have to be able to face them, but we also defend when we defend to win the ball and counterattack quickly."

That's exactly what Martial did for his goal against Fulham, but would he feel free to do the same under Mourinho? Manchester United made more quick pbades than any other Premier League team under Solskjaer, but its total under Mourinho was the lowest in the division.

United has increased intensity and Martial has followed suit. Against Fulham, he made more sprints (15) than any of his teammates although he retired after 70 minutes. His average number of sprints per hour and 90 minutes rose from ten under Mourinho to 13.7 under Solskjaer, an increase of more than one-third.

This is just another indication of how it benefits from the Solskjaer effect. His future was uncertain at the beginning of the season, but six months later he could hardly be more brilliant. Martial improves all the time.

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