Anthony Martial equals the preseason record set by Manchester United legends
According to the Manchester Evening News, French striker, Anthony Martial has equaled a 15-year-old record first set by two Manchester United legends. The 26-year-old struck a sweet goal at the Melbourne cricket stadium as the Red Devils comfortably rounded off Crystal Palace with a 3-1 scoreline.
It was the striker’s third goal in three consecutive pre-season games as he continues to discover his lost form under Erik ten Hag. In the process, he has also equalled a long-held record by being the first player since 2007 to score in three consecutive preseason games.
The record was last held by legendary club strikers Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. Although Rooney is way above these two as he has made the record a little tough to beat by scoring in four consecutive games.
Both the strikers had first claimed the record in the same season (2007/08). FC Seoul, Urawa Red Diamonds, and Shenzhen were the unlucky opponents who were made to feel wrought. Since then, the preseason games haven’t witnessed a striker finding the back of the net so often.
Erik Ten Hag has been intense with his training and his philosophies seem to be running all through Anthony Martial’s mind. The French striker has made a good start for himself and his performances do highlight his progress.
With Cristiano Ronaldo not making it to the tour, the 26-year-old striker has made good use of this opportunity. The star striker scored the first goal of the preseason against Liverpool. He beat Alisson through a wonderful strike after creating the chance by pressuring the Reds defenders to make the chance.
The former AS Monaco striker then scored his second-preseason goal against Melbourne Victory. The goal was gifted to him through neat teamwork which made its way to the back of the net through a lovely pass from Anthony Elanga.
The Frenchmen equalled the record by scoring the latest goal against Crystal Palace. New signing, Tyrell Malacia was at the end of it, as he switched the play by crossing the ball to Diogo Dalot.
The Portuguese right-back did the rest by dipping in a dangerous-looking cross which was easily converted by Anthony Martial. All he needed was a clean touch and a shot that swiftly went through the legs of the goalkeeper.
These goals signify the level of hard work going on behind the scenes as Erik Ten Hag has introduced a new style of football to the United fans. For a player who has been unable to show his quality for the past few seasons, this would be a real confidence booster.
Martial had a failed loan spell at Sevilla as he soon started to fade away from Julen Lopetegui’s plans. However, the 26-year-old has shown glimpses of his deadly potential during the 2019/20 season.
He had scored 23 goals and formed a lethal partnership with Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford. Manchester United would want to see their star striker rediscover the same goalscoring form in the upcoming season.
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The preseason games would help the forward to learn and step back into his goalscoring boost as the new season approaches.
