UNITED Tony can be one of league’s best, insists Nemanja
ANTHONY Martial can become one of the best players in the Premier League with ‘more confidence’ – and Jose Mourinho has been driving home that point, according to Nemanja Matic.
The Frenchman has scored four goals in his last three league starts and put in another impressive display on the left wing in United’s 2-1 win against Everton on Sunday.
As well as winning a penalty for his side – Paul Pogba eventually slotted home the rebound after his initial effort was saved – Martial doubled the Reds’ lead with a stunning, first-time effort from the edge of the area after half-time.
The Frenchman is again resembling the player that promised so much when he joined United in 2015, and Matic believes there is still a lot more to come from the 22-year-old.
“Anthony is a great player and he needs to understand that,” he said.
“He needs more confidence. He is still young and I think if he continues to score in the next games he will get that.
“If he reaches his top level, he can be one of the best players in the league for sure.
“Sometimes, I don’t think he understands how good he is. He is quick, he is good with the ball, he can run. He has everything that a Manchester United football player needs.
“If I had his ability with the ball, and I was as quick as him, then I wouldn’t pass to anyone and I would score every game!
“To be serious, he does need more confidence and this comes with results. When you don’t have results, it is very difficult for players to have that high confidence. If we can get results over the next few games he will show that he is very important for us.
“The manager speaks with him about it. I have told him once – but he is a great person and a great guy and I am happy for him that he is scoring. The quality is there, the confidence is there now, and he just needs to be more consistent. I am glad we have him in the team.”
Martial lined up alongside Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford in United’s three-man attack after Mourinho took the unprecedented step of dropping Romelu Lukaku for a Premier League game.
United’s No.9 has looked jaded and short of confidence of late and has now gone nine games without scoring after he failed to find the net during a 25 minute cameo against his former club.
But Matic isn’t too worried. He said: “He’s a great guy who works hard and works for the team. Sometimes he doesn’t get the goals but he is still working for us. He will start to score again soon. I believe that.”