Owen: Martial not doing things I ain’t seen before

Matt Stead

Michael Owen has issued a withering reality check to Anthony Martial, claiming the Manchester United striker is “not taking my breath away”.

Martial, who signed from Monaco for £36.7million on transfer deadline day, has been in impressive form for Manchester United despite the weight of expectation surrounding him.

An excellent solo goal came on his debut for the Red Devils against Liverpool, and he followed that up with a double against Southampton. The Frenchman has also scored in the Capital One Cup, while impressing with all-round performances against Sunderland and Wolfsburg in the Champions League.

But Owen is refusing to get carried away with the hype, claiming that Martial has done merely what was expected of him so far under Louis van Gaal.

“He has done what he had to do, that was the question mark before he came because he didn’t have a goalscoring record,” Owen said.

“I am not watching him and he is doing things I haven’t seen before, he’s not taking my breath away but you can’t pick any holes in his game right now, he has scored four in four.”