Anthony Martial has done two things to give Manchester United a Cristiano Ronaldo alternative

There was a little clench of the first when Anthony Martial tucked away his second goal of Manchester United's pre-season tour, a routine finish but one from a position that hasn't always been a strong point for the forward.

Martial was inside the six-yard box when Diogo Dalot broke clear down the right and benefited from the positioning when Anthony Elanga touched the cross into his path. The Frenchman took a touch and applied a routine finish.

It was a striker's goal and the centre forwards club would probably say it is the position of maximum opportunity. Stick yourself in front of the goal at close range and eventually, the goals will come.

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That is something Ole Gunnar Solskjaer used to stress to Martial when he played him as a centre-forward in 2019/20. That was his most successful season in front of goal but he didn't kick on and a few weeks ago his Old Trafford career looked to be on life support, but fortune has given him another chance and so far he is taking it.

The absence of Cristiano Ronaldo on the trip has meant Martial has started both games as the striker and in Bangkok and Melbourne, he's been impressive. If his goal at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was about the instincts of a striker, then his effort against Liverpool suggested buy-in to Erik ten Hag's methods.

Martial pressed Rhys Williams into a mistake that night and then raced clear to finish neatly. It's been an encouraging start to the summer for a player who was beginning to look like a lost cause.

His movement against Melbourne Victory was sharp and in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch he was happy to play with his back to goal, which again hasn't always been a strength. He was