This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
As quoted by the club’s official website, Manchester United star Anthony Martial has delivered an encouraging insight into his progress as a central striker.
What did he say?
The France international started the current campaign on fire, registering two goals and an assist in his opening three Premier League games. However, the forward suffered an injury that kept him out of action for the best part of two months, but has since made a goal-scoring return to the first-team.
And now, the 23-year-old has provided an insight into how he is continuing to develop as a starting striker for the club, and insisted his attitude and commitment to the craft is the key to success.
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He said: “Frankly, playing as striker, you’re not there to make blinding passes or massive runs. I’ve come to understand that to score, you have to be obsessed, to be fixated on just that, scoring goals. That’s how you enjoy yourself as a striker. That’s not a choice – that’s how it has to be.
“It’s all about scoring goals for me. That’s my number one aim. It has to be. These days I am very focused on my central striker role, getting my scoring stats up and helping the team that way. It’s important to keep learning new things, new elements that can widen your range of options and make you more efficient as a player when you’re out there on the pitch.”
Encouraging
Make no mistake about it, Martial’s insight into how he is looking to improve his skills as a striker is great news for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his side. The departure of Romelu Lukaku earlier in the summer – a man who scored 113 goals in the Premier League – robbed the Red Devils of a proven marksman.
And with no replacement being signed, the burden of scoring the bulk of the side’s goals has been firmly placed on the shoulders of Martial and Marcus Rashford. The former struck twice in successive games against Partizan Belgrade and Norwich in his come back from injury, and if he continues to hone his craft in the way he has revealed, then there is no reason why the Frenchman cannot be the long-term successor to Lukaku.
