This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Having made his return from injury in the hard-fought 1-1 draw against Liverpool, Anthony Martial quickly hit the ground running for Manchester United.
The France international looked like he had never gone away, scoring the winner against Partizan Belgrade, before netting in a comfortable victory at Carrow Road against Norwich. The £36m man seemed to fit like a glove into the the Red Devils’ attack, and he no doubt would have been hoping to continue his rich vein of form with another impressive performance against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
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Unfortunately for both him and United, the 23-year-old never seemed to get going, and his performance left a lot to be desired. The Red Devils looked limp in attack over the entire game, registering just four shots on target, and Martial’s inability to lead the line well in wet and windy conditions restricted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to looking toothless.
Having found the back of the net in his previous outings since his comeback from injury, Martial’s tail would no doubt have been up. The Frenchman has looked lively since his return, and in that 3-1 victory over Norwich, had one goal, four shots on target and two successful dribbles. But against Bournemouth at the weekend, the forward didn’t look at all threatening.
Nathan Ake and Steve Cook marshalled him well for the Cherries defence, and in the end, the United star could muster up just one shot on target. His total of 27 touches was the least of any player for Solskjaer’s side who had started the game. Indeed, Jesse Lingard – who came on for only the final 22 minutes of the match – had just five fewer touches than his teammate.
When strikers don’t appear to be having much luck in front of goal, the one thing they should most certainly try and do is help out the rest of the attack. But Martial simply couldn’t get into the game whatsoever, registering zero key passes. He seemed intent on just trying to play on the shoulder of the last man, and he was caught out offside twice. The Red Devils needed someone to stitch the midfield and attack together, and the Frenchman just didn’t provide that option.
Whilst he has looked devastating on the break with his pace and movement, United desperately need him to show a bit more cuteness in the future when leading the line on his own.
