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Erik ten Hag believes Anthony Martial can become even better after his goal against Melbourne Victory

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial continued his sensational pre-season form on Friday as he struck once again against Melbourne Victory. 

The Red Devils conceded an early goal due to poor defending but came back strongly to claim a resounding 4-1 victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

Scott McTominay scored the equaliser in the 43rd minute before Martial smashed another inside the six-yard box with Anthony Elanga the provider. 

Marcus Rashford came off the bench in the second-half to add to the scoreline with a deft finish. While an own goal from Edmund Lupancu in the final minute of regulation time secured another emphatic victory for the Premier League giants. 

Manager Erik ten Hag looked pleased with the performance of his team and the Dutch boss also had some good words for Martial. However, the 52-year-old also stressed that the Frenchman can become even better.

“I’m sure he can come back even better,” Ten Hag said. “I think when he has the right focus and the right motivation and he works hard he will have production because he is a good player.”

Martial is back 

Anthony Martial arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2015 in a deal worth around £36 million from Monaco. 

He made 31 Premier League appearances in his debut campaign and also remained an important member of the squad over the following years. 

But the Frenchman has seen a great downturn in his fortunes in recent years at Old Trafford. In fact, he started only twice in the English top-flight during the first-half of last season. 

The 26-year-old was then loaned to La Liga side Sevilla where he also failed to make an impact. He made only 12 appearances for the Spanish outfit, scoring only a goal. 

But now the France international has made a spectacular return to form in the pre-season. He scored against Liverpool while he was also on the scoresheet today against Melbourne Victory. 

We all know how good the old Martial was who delighted us with his excellent passing, dribbling and through balls. 

We shouldn’t get too excited yet but all the signs are very promising and it looks he is back to his best form.