Martial explains why one signing was ‘especially important’ for Man Utd
Anthony Martial says the arrival of Edinson Cavani at Manchester United will be “especially important”, despite it adding competition for his own place.
Martial was United’s top scorer last season with 23 goals in all competitions. He now has a rival for his place up front, though, as Cavani arrived with a big reputation earlier this month.
The Uruguay striker scored 200 goals in just 301 games at his previous club Paris Saint-Germain. Last week, Cavani came off the bench to make his United debut against Chelsea.
Martial missed that game as he is still serving a suspension after being sent off in the 6-1 defeat to Tottenham. But even though his absence is giving other players a chance to impress in his role, the Frenchman is happy that United now have the depth to ensure consistent results.
Speaking of Cavani, Martial told United Review: “He’s a really great player, he’s proved exactly that all the way through his career, and I hope that he’ll manage to help us out.
“It’s always a positive to have even more quality within the group and as there are always a lot of fixtures to play, when one player is rested, it will allow us to ensure that there is no drop-off in quality whatsoever. That’s especially important for the team.”
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Martial was able to return for United in their clash with Cavani’s old club in the Champions League last week. However, he scored an own goal despite United winning 2-1.
The Paris-born striker felt the benefits of getting back onto the pitch, though.
He added: “For sure, it really does you good, especially when you’re talking about big games like these in the Champions League.
“That red card [against Spurs] was my first ever and it’s something that I will learn from. But it will at least allow me to work even harder in training to come back even better.”
Martial jokes about own goal
“These things happen,” he said of his own goal. “But since it was my hometown club, I just wanted to give them a bit of a helping hand!
“No, seriously, that kind of thing can happen to anybody, but the main thing was that we managed to score the winning goal right at the death, and that was more important to me.”
At the right end of the pitch, Martial is stuck on zero goals for the new season. However, he remains confident he will be able to build up some momentum once he gets his first.
He said: “I still haven’t scored yet this season. But I know that as and when I get off the mark with one, everything will be fine.
“So, it’s down to me to keep putting in a big effort in training and to then show everybody the real Anthony Martial.”
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