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40% Hit Rate: Stats Show Man United’s Martial Is Up There With The Best Of Strikers In The Premier League

Anthony Martial

Comparing Martial With Premier League’s Top Dogs – How Does The Frenchman Fare?

At one point last season, Anthony Martial was on the pitch for about 25 Premier League minutes. In that time, he scored twice – once against West Ham and once against Swansea. The Frenchman has this tenacity to get ahead and score goals with passion – and it was that ability, showcased with his debut goal against Liverpool around two years ago that got everyone so excited about Martial. It is still very early but, this season, it seems to be back.

This season, Martial is locked in a battle with Marcus Rashford for the first-choice slot on the left wing. It has restricted him to just few starts, but he has still managed to score 4 Premier League goals.

Martial has played 269 minutes in the league, and yet he has managed to score 4 goals. His contemporaries like Sadio Mane and Chris Wood have scored only 3 goals each despite playing for 365 and 500 minutes respectively. Shinji Okazaki has also scored 4 goals but he has managed to do so after spending a total of 455 minutes on the field. Other players like Gabriel Jesus, Sergio Aguero and Jamie Vardy have all scored more goals but they have also spent more amount of time on the field when compared to Martial. Another fact worth noting is that Martial has a deadly 40 percent hit rate with a total of just 10 shots on goal.

Initially, there were some concerns that Mourinho was battling when it came to Martial’s past. The United manager was of the opinion that the former Monaco man thrived under Louis van Gaal because he was given a role which had space for a lot freedom – one that does not exist in the new-look United.

Mourinho’s wingers are expected to chase, press and support their full-backs. Martial is undoubtedly getting better, but Rashford still appears to have more of an edge in that particular department. There is, however, a feeling at Old Trafford that those qualities are still underrated. When one closely watches both Martial and Rashford, it is quite evident that the former is better at running with the ball at his feet – and he is also a better finisher.

Interestingly, in the last three seasons (not including the current season), Eden Hazard has scored 20 goals and recorded 8 assists in 71 Premier League appearances. In the same time, Martial has scored 18 goals and has recorded 12 assists in 62 appearances. These numbers speak more than anything else – which goes on to show how remarkably Martial has managed to turn things around for himself at Old Trafford.

Had Mourinho succeeded in his pursuit of Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic this summer, Martial may have found his situation at United very different. Instead, he chose to take his chance with Martial and it seems like the player and the manager are both happy now.