Manchester United's next transfer priority is obvious after John Murtough comments on January window

Anthony Martial departed Manchester United's pre-match warm-up early at Goodison Park on Sunday. Martial trudged toward the tunnel and he looked to be in difficulty with his hip, which caused speculation about whether he would actually start.

The Manchester Evening News confirmed before kick-off that Martial was indeed starting, as planned, although the forward was notably stretching the problem area when lining up for the first whistle and he seemed to be in a degree of discomfort.

That wasn't enough to prevent Martial from assisting Antony for United's first goal of the match, but it was enough for him to be forced off the pitch with injury just 15 minutes after the equaliser, which led to him making way for Cristiano Ronaldo.

ALSO READ: David de Gea has told Manchester United what he wants

Martial has scored more times against Everton (7) than any other side in his career, although Everton certianly did not welcome his early, forced substitution as it gave an opportunity for the game's greatest goalscorer of all time to enter the pitch.

Ronaldo also had a point to prove after spending weeks on the bench and that was a dangerous set of circumstances for Everton, who welcomed his substitution with a chorus of boos following a phone-smashing incident at Goodison Park in April.

The Everton fans poked the bear but he was already hungry after hibernating. Ronaldo only needed 15 minutes to score and that strike gave him his 700th club career goal, which is a remarkable achievement for a generational and special talent.

The two players that played through the middle against Everton, Martial and Ronaldo, had played their part in scoring both of the goals, but neither will be the long-term answer for Erik ten Hag's rebuild.