Solskjaer reveals why Manchester United star is struggling

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has explained why the Manchester United star has struggled this time around after showing some brilliant form last season.

After a brilliant debut campaign for Manchester United which saw him score 17 goals and provide 9 assists, it is safe to say that Anthony Martial has been a bit inconsistent. In the following three seasons, he failed to match those numbers and was in-and-out of the first-team.

That all changed last season though as it looked like the Frenchman had turned over a new leaf and found a consistency which he had never shown before in his career. In the 2019/20 season, Martial scored 23 goals and provided 12 assists in 48 appearances for the Red Devils. And it looked like he was finally on the path to becoming the lethal striker that many had thought he would be when he first arrived at Old Trafford.

As a result, his performances this season have been disappointing. In 5 Premier League games, he has managed a solitary assist and no goals. He also received that controversial red card in the 6-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur. The only silver lining has been his form in the Champions League, where he has scored and assisted twice each in just 3 appearances.

Solskjaer though has an explanation for the Martial’s downturn in form. As reported by Metro, the Manchester United manager said:

"“Anthony did well last season and took big strides in becoming a striker we know he can be.“Like a lot of the players, he’s not had a pre-season as usual and he’s working towards his peak form. He missed a few games through suspension so he lost a bit of football too.“Hopefully he will continue working hard to get to his best again.”"

More from Manchester United News

• Aaron Wan Bissaka out for ‘several weeks’ with injury
• Sofyan Amrabat set to miss game against Brighton
• Preview: Manchester United vs Brighton – What you need to know
• Jadon Sancho set to train away from first team squad
• Mike Phelan blasts Manchester United teammates over Ronaldo exit

The Frenchman was a huge reason why Manchester United managed to secure a third-place finish in the Premier League last season. While Bruno Fernandes might have gotten most of the plaudits, the contributions of the front-three of Martial, Rashford and Greenwood did a spectacular job in their late charge for a top four finish.

Let’s just hope that he can rediscover that form this season as soon as possible. There has never been a question about the quality of Martial. On his day, he is as good as anyone the Red Devils have right now. Consistency is something he has lacked through the course of his career though.

In many ways, that is a mirror image of the club as well. At times they look like world beaters, for example their 2-1 win away against Paris Saint-Germain or their 5-0 demolition of RB Leipzig. At others, they look like a team that can barely keep up with relegation fighting clubs.