Magic Martial can light up the top flight

ANTHONY MARTIAL has endured enough setbacks at Manchester United that caution must be urged when talking of a corner finally being turned.

But team-mates are in no doubt the Frenchman has the potential to become one of the best players in the Premier League if he starts to believe in himself.

Martial, 22, has scored four goals in his last three league games and earned man of the match in the 2-1 defeat of Everton at Old Trafford on Sunday.

And Nemanja Matic believes the forward has shown the potential of a player who can set the top flight alight if he starts to play with the confidence his talent demands.

“Anthony is a great player and he needs to understand that. He needs more confidence. He is still young and if he continues to score in the next games he will get that,” said Matic.

“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 player needs. The quality is there, confidence is there now and he just needs to be more consistent.”

Pressure has weighed heavily on Martial’s shoulders since he arrived as the most expensive teenager in football, signing for £36 million from Monaco in 2015, and off-field issues have at times impacted on his form.

His relationship with manager Jose Mourinho has not always been easy, with the Portuguese questioning Martial’s work BRAVO: Matic has applauded Martial’s recent displays ethic on more than one occasion, most notably this summer when he was fined for going AWOL after the birth of his first child when United were on tour in America.

“In football and in life you have difficult times and you have to get back on track, and that is exactly what he is doing,” said Matic. “But he is a great guy and I am happy for him that he is scoring. I am glad we have him in the team.”

If Mourinho has clashed with his charge over an apparent lack of understanding about the defensive duties involved in the winger’s role, on Sunday there were signs the penny had dropped as Martial was excellent going forwards and backwards.

Mourinho later pointedly suggested both Martial’s thinking about football and training had improved.

Although he recently turned down a new contract offer from United, the club’s hierarchy – who can exercise a 12-month extension to a deal that expires at the end of this season – are confident he will sign an improved deal in the near future with five years on the table.

Martial’s representatives are understandably delighted with the timing of his improvements. And Matic said the feeling of a corner being turned was permeating through the whole team after taking seven points from their last three matches.

“Of course when you win it is always good,” he said. “The atmosphere is better around the team but in football you know you have to forget the last game and be focused on the next one.”

United’s next task is a trip to in-form Bournemouth on Saturday.