Anthony Martial

Martial makes his mark!

Anthony Martial scored one goal and provided an assist as Manchester Utd beat Watford 2-0 to stay within striking distance of the Champions League places. Watford had surprised Arsenal in their previous away match so Manchester United had to be at their best to beat the Hornets. The Red Devils took the lead in the first half when Martial provided the assist by crossing from the left for Juan Mata to score from close-range. Martial caused problems for the Watford defence all afternoon and it was no surprise when he was on the end of a good United passing move. Henrikh Mkhitaryan combined with Zlatan Ibrahimovic who provided the defence-splitting pass for Martial to run forward and beat the goalkeeper at the near post. Martial had been dropped from the United starting XI in recent weeks but this performance has reminded everyone what he can add to the Manchester United team.

Martial deserves the chance. He has worked harder than ever in the last two weeks, and, in the way I like - silent but hard. Manchester Utd manager, Jose Mourinho.

Are things changing at Old Trafford?

Manchester United are now unbeaten in 16 Premier League matches; their longest unbeaten run since Sir Alex Ferguson was manager at the club. The Red Devils haven't lost since October when they were beaten 4-0 by Chelsea. The club are certainly heading in the right direction in Jose Mourinho's first season as manager at Old Trafford. Manchester Utd also have the League Cup Final to look forward to, they play Southampton on the 26th of February at Wembley. They are also still involved in two other cup competitions. They face a two-legged tie against French team, St. Etienne, in the Europa League, where Paul Pogba will come up against his brother, Florentin. In between the two legs, United play Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup, which will be a passionate local derby. Could the season end with United winning a Champions League place and two or three cup competitions? 

Sixteen games unbeaten is an amazing record but it would be the perfect record with two or three fewer draws at home.  Manchester Utd manager, Jose Mourinho.

What do we know about Anthony Martial?

Anthony Martial was born on 5 December 1995 in Massy, which is an area in the south of the French capital, Paris. He started his professional career with Lyon and made his debut in a Europa League game, a day after his 17th birthday. He played only two more matches for Lyon before he moved to AS Monaco in the summer of 2013. He made 68 appearances for Monaco and scored 15 goals, but many of his appearances came as a substitute. On 1 September 2015, Martial made a sensational move to Manchester Utd and at the same time became the most expensive teenager in world football. The signing was a complete surprise to fans and journalists, and even Manchester Utd's captain, Wayne Rooney, who wasn't sure who the new striker was. Rooney had to ask Martial's international teammate, ex-Man Utd midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, for information about the new teenage striker!

It’s normal that Rooney doesn’t know who I am, I’ve only played a little in Ligue 1.  Anthony Martial.

Are there many teenagers in the Premier League?

When Anthony Martial signed for Manchester Utd he became the most expensive teenager in world football. Martial's transfer fee was £36 million but could rise to £58 million, depending on how well he performs. Martial is not the first teenage star of the Premier League however, Martial's teammate, Luke Shaw made his debut for Southampton when he was just 16, and cost Man Utd around £30 million in 2014. He was having a great first season until he broke his leg against PSV in the Champions League and is only now working his way back into the Manchester Utd team. Wayne Rooney was also a Premier League star as a teenager, he made his debut for Everton when he was just 16 and moved to Manchester Utd when he was only 19. Raheem Sterling is another player who made a name for himself at an early age. Sterling made his debut for Liverpool when he was 17 and made a multi-million pound move to Manchester City in 2015.

Can you think of any other famous teenagers?

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