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Anthony Martial is relishing the opportunity to prove himself in a central striking role all over again at Manchester United with the help of team-mate Marcus Rashford.
The France international reclaimed the number nine shirt this season following Romelu Lukaku’s exit and he impressed through the middle in last weekend’s 4-0 win against Chelsea, scoring the second of his side’s goals.
A change in position means increased responsibility to get on the scoresheet but Martial is embracing the pressure that comes with leading the line, having been shunted out to the flank by former boss Jose Mourinho.
“Since I was a young kid, I have always played as a striker but, then again, I’m fine with playing more out wide as it’s a position that I enjoy playing,” Martial told United’s official club app.
“It’s a real pleasure to find myself back in that more central role so I hope I can really help the team from there and go on to score plenty of goals.”
Martial was handed the number nine jersey when he joined the club in 2015 and scored 17 goals in his debut campaign at Old Trafford, but was made to change number and position following Lukaku’s arrival two years later.
An emphatic win for @ManUtd!
Rashford (x2), Martial and debutant James all find the net#MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/T5oqISFNes
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 11, 2019
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer challenged the 23-year-old and strike partner Rashford to fill the void left by Belgian and the early signs have been positive.
Blessing your timeline with a message from @AnthonyMartial 🤳#AM9 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/RUQ3lGdkg1
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 17, 2019
Asked about his ability to swap positions with Rashford, he said: “We work on that a lot in training and I think it’s improving all the time.
“It’s good for us as it allows us to move the opposition defence around. It definitely helps to unsettle them and that’s a good thing for us.
“It also means we can switch roles when we want to have a bit more time and a few more touches on the ball. It’s very important and the key is to keep the right balance for our team.”
[Sportskeeda]
