Anthony Martial may have stumbled into his best role at Manchester United

Anthony Martial produced a goal contribution every 120 minutes - or 1.3 games - last season. The problem was, he was injured for more than 30 matches.

Much has been made of that frustration but it must be remembered that the constant setbacks will have been morale-destroying for the striker. No player wants to be constantly sidelined.

Martial has seen the likes of Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo leave during his stay at Manchester United and he’s had to play second fiddle at various points within their periods at Old Trafford. All three were far his senior and it has to be asked why he wasn’t able to usurp them having arrived aged 19.

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He has been at the club for eight years now yet few would dare to call him a club hero. This is despite the striker having 143 goal contributions in 304 club appearances (89 goals, 54 assists) which is almost one every other game. There must be more behind the story, then.

The fact is, when it has mattered most, Martial has not produced. In the 66 games against the other five 'big six' teams, he has found the net just 15 times. In the five finals he’s featured in for United, he’s failed to score.

In his first season at United, he finished as top scorer with 17 goals and in the 2019/20 season he tallied 23 - but just five of those 40 goals came against top six clubs.

He missed all of United’s last three finals - last year’s League Cup and FA Cup, plus the 2021 Europa League - through injury. Regardless of fault, Martial has not been reliable.

In latter years, injury has hampered his progression, last season alone he had five different setbacks.