MARTIAL TOPS REDS GOAL CHARTS FOR 2019/20

Anthony Martial has finished the 2019/20 campaign as Manchester United’s leading scorer, netting 23 goals in all competitions.

The Frenchman ended a marathon season one goal clear of strike partner Marcus Rashford, who struck 22 times.

It was the first time since 2010/11 that two players had scored 20 or more goals during the same campaign for the Reds, when Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez crossed that landmark.

Teenage striker Mason Greenwood managed 17 in all competitions, with January arrival Bruno Fernandes adding a further 12. But Martial’s personal-best tally, aided by the seven goals he registered after lockdown, sees him top the Reds’ goalscoring charts for the first time since his debut campaign of 2015/16, when the then 19-year-old hit 17.

Seventeen of our no.9’s efforts came in the Premier League, with his total augmented by four goals in the Europa League and one each in the FA and Carabao Cups.

And Martial’s haul compares favourably with some of his domestic rivals – Manchester City pair Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus also managed 23 goals in all competitions, as did Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Premier League Golden Boot winner Jamie Vardy.

Indeed, only Raheem Sterling (31), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (29), Raul Jimenez (27), Danny Ings (25) and Harry Kane (24) scored more than Tony in ‘19/20 – and all, unlike Martial, are regular penalty-takers for their respective clubs.

Rashford was the primary source of Martial’s joy in front of goal, with our homegrown forward assisting six of his fellow forward’s efforts.

Andreas and Bruno Fernandes laid on three strikes apiece for the 24-year-old, with Juan Mata and Aaron Wan-Bissaka also setting him up on multiple occasions.

Finally, Martial’s total from this season is the third-highest of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, with only Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku recording more in one campaign since the legendary Scot retired in 2013.

Tony’s tally is actually more than Berbatov recorded on his way to the Golden Boot in 2010/11 – and the same as Cristiano Ronaldo gleaned in inspiring the Reds to Premier League success in 2006/07.