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Erik ten Hag decides to keep Anthony Martial, set to start against Brighton

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has decided to keep Anthony Martial on the back of his superb showing during the club’s pre-season tour, The Daily Mail reports.

The Frenchman was deemed surplus to requirements at the beginning of the year under Ralf Rangnick, and he was loaned out to Spanish club Sevilla.

His time in Seville was far from successful with just one goal and one assist from 12 outings, and there were suggestions that he could be offloaded by United.

However, the 26-year-old has seen a tremendous turnaround under Ten Hag where he has not only impressed with his workrate, but also his goal output.

In the continued absence of Cristiano Ronaldo due to family reasons, Martial has started as the main striker, scoring in all three pre-season friendlies.

It is now reported that he has won the trust of Ten Hag, who has no plans of losing him. Furthermore, Martial is expected to start against Brighton on August 7.

It is unclear whether Ronaldo will report for training after the Australia tour, but Martial is now assured to lead the line in the Premier League opener.

Martial has proved his credentials to Ten Hag

Martial had previously been the subject of criticism from some fans for his languid playing style. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, we had seen a reluctance from him to press opponents.

Judging by this, there were doubts whether he could revive his career under Ten Hag, but the Frenchman has answered those critics with a blistering start during pre-season.

The £14.4 million-rated star has looked a completely different player from recent years. His confidence has been restored and this should be a big boost for United, who don’t need to spend on another striker.

His goal scoring return has been impressive this summer, but Martial has also been contributing with key passes. He recently came up with a perfectly-timed left-footed assist for Jadon Sancho.

Of course, we can’t look much into detail over pre-season friendlies, and it remains to be seen whether he can carry over the form into the Premier League curtain-raiser against Brighton next month.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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