Pressure? What pressure?
Anthony Martial made his first Premier League start on Sunday and found the net with two composed finishes that were more akin to an unshakeable veteran than a 19-year-old newcomer.
The pair of strikes either side of half-time were Martial’s second and third in the Premier League after he announced himself in some style with a wonderful goal against Liverpool last week.
But Manchester United legend Gary Neville isn’t getting caught up in the hype just yet, which is more than we can say for quite a few United fans.
“It’s some start. I think to say ‘some player’ is a little bit early,” Neville told Sky Sports after United’s 3-2 victory at Southampton on Sunday.
“I wouldn’t have imagined he would have the composure he’s had. If you look at his goalscoring record before he came to Manchester United – I think it was 15 goals in 70 games – it doesn’t suggest he’s got that level of composure.
“There was a huge pressure put on him and he’ll be aware of that, the expectation and the price tag. He came into a game against Liverpool for 20 minutes and took the chance in the way in which he did.
“Today [the first goal] was his first moment around the box. To be redundant in the game for 30 minutes and then show that composure and class at that moment says a lot about him.”
And Neville claimed that, ideally, Martial would be nurtured and allowed to gradually adapt to the Premier League but admitted that that’s not likely to be the case so threadbare are Louis van Gaal’s striking options.
“In a perfect world you wouldn’t want him to start every game. A 19-year-old coming for that price tag? You’d want to introduce him slowly and develop him.
“The problem with Manchester United at the moment is they have gone from having four or five centre-forwards to having one or two.
“He is probably going to have to start 95 per cent of all games if he stays fit. From that point of view it’s not ideal, but it’s more of a necessity at his moment in time.”
