Reds United In Martial Praise

Juan Mata and Daley Blind scored vital goals in Manchester United’s 3-1 win over Derby County on Friday, yet they were quick to highlight Anthony Martial’s impact on the result.

The 20-year-old France international did not add his name to the scoresheet in the Emirates FA Cup fourth-round tie but was a constant menace throughout the 90 minutes, regularly terrorising his marker and creating several scoring opportunities for the Reds. This led to him being named Man of the Match by followers of the club’s official Twitter account, @ManUtd, with 73 per cent of votes cast online.

It was Martial’s superb assist that led to Mata scoring the final goal of the night in Derbyshire and the Spaniard was clearly enthused by his team-mate when speaking to MUTV after the final whistle, stating his belief that his colleague has “incredible potential” to fulfil in the coming seasons.

“I’ve been really impressed with him,” Juan explained. “He’s a very good player. He has a lot of good things and can beat almost anyone one-on-one. He can do great crosses like we saw when he passed back to me for the goal and I really enjoy playing alongside him, because he’s a very good player.

“He has incredible potential. I think he has to keep calm, which I think he is. He has to show what he has shown in almost every game, and for me he is an unbelievable player.”

Blind also paid tribute to Martial’s unquestionable influence on the victory over Derby and explained why the former Monaco player must be something of a nightmare for opposition defenders to play against.

“I think as a defender you are not happy if you have to play against him at the moment," the Dutchman said. "He is so quick and he makes good decisions. He can go left or right, and that is difficult for every defender. He gets into great positions and I have said before that he is going to be a great striker.”

Louis van Gaal admitted Martial could have been better in the opening stages of the tie, but happily admitted his summer signing displayed his true quality throughout the remainder of the game.

“He started not so good, I think, but I said that to him and after the first 20 minutes he came into the match and he was fabulous,” declared the manager. “I am very happy that he is a Manchester United player because I think he shall be a great player for Manchester United for a long time.”

Martial was nominated for the club’s Man of the Match award by MUTV pundits David May and Lee Martin. Young full-backs Guillermo Varela and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson were also put up for the prize in a nod of appreciation towards their fine performances on the flanks.