2016-2017 Season Performance Review: Anthony Martial

Pre-season

After a brilliant 1st season at Old Trafford, Anthony Martial came into his second season with high expectations. The pre-season involved some controversy when he was given the number 11 versus his preferred 9 due to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s arrival. Rumors began about the frenchman potentially leaving the club due to his frustration but in the end stayed put. It became apparent that Martial would play mostly on the wing and not centrally like he did last season on many occasions.

Start of the Premier League season

Martial found himself as the preferred left sided midfielder over Marcus Rashford. The Frenchman started off well with two assists to open league play, but wouldn’t record his first Premier League goal till October. It wasn’t exactly the start United fans expected from Martial after bursting on the scene last year.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 27: Pablo Zabaleta and Fernandinho (L) of Manchester City compete with Anthony Martial of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on April 27, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images) /

Mid Season

Mourinho would change his tactics and place Rashford over Martial after only producing 2 goals and assists before the New Year. Martial would have a fallout with Mourinho, and rarely featured during the Winter months. Mourinho chose Rashford due to his coachable ability, and better performance during training.

End of the Season

Due to the injury of Ibrahimovic, Rashford would become United’s number one striking option. Leaving the door open for Martial to come back in as the first choice left sided midfielder. Martial also got opportunities to lead the line to give Rashford a breather. He excelled in the number 9 role scoring and assisting away at Burnley. Making United fans wonder, is Martial really at his best when he’s pushed out to the flank?

Overall Stats

It was an overall disappointing season for the young frenchman. Perhaps the expectations were too high considering he is only 21 and still a lot of time to grow. In the league Martial would muster only 4 goals and 6 assists in 25 appearances. His numbers in Europe were not better providing only one goal in 10 appearances.

It wasn’t all bad for Martial, he was brilliant at running at defenders but occasionally lacked the final ball. Not a natural winger, so he has some work to do this off-season to improve his ability. For United fans, hopefully Martial can rediscover the form from his first season in Manchester and be successful in whatever role Mourinho asks of him.

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