We have been here before with Anthony Martial. Pre-season is often where the mercurial Frenchman has produced his best work.
With the pressure off, a relaxed Martial can call upon his unerring ability to glide past players with little effort, just as he did during the 2017 friendly against Real Madrid when he left the likes of Daniel Carvajal and Luka Modric in his wake before bypassing current teammate Raphael Varane to set up an easy goal for Jesse Lingard.
This summer has been no different. Seemingly destined to leave Manchester United as one of the biggest disappointments of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, the French attacker has been the star of his side’s tour of Thailand and Australia, scoring three times while linking-up play with a finesse only a pre-season Martial can offer.
However, after the Lord Mayor’s show comes the dustcart. Other than one occasion where he became United’s first 20-goal-a-season striker in three years in 2019/20, the 26-year-old has remained the perennial frustrater.