We simulated Cristiano Ronaldo's Man United exit to see how many Anthony Martial would score

21.07.2022 - 18:21 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Anthony Martial hasn't lived up to the high expectations that were placed on him following his move to Manchester United seven years ago.

Every United fan will remember his debut goal against Liverpool back in September 2015, along with Martin Tyler's iconic commentary, a game they won 3-1. Since then, however, Martial hasn't quite realised his potential, with the Frenchman eventually falling out of favour at the club and being sent on loan to Spanish club Sevilla where he only scored once in 12 games.

With new manager Erik ten Hag praising the Frenchman for his good form in pre-season, Martial could play a part in the upcoming campaign, particularly with doubts around the future of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese striker wants out but that hasn't stopped Ten Hag from admitting how much he wants to work with Ronaldo.

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Although he's going into his eighth season with the club, Martial is still only 26 so he's just starting to hit his prime years. Could he be what United need to begin to return to the glory days of old? We decided to find out and simulated Martial and United's 2022/23 season should Ronaldo leave to see what would happen.

Looking at his in-game profile, Martial clearly has the pace to burst past defenders when playing either as a left-winger or as a lone striker. He also has strong dribbling and finishing abilities, and he's able to set up better scoring opportunities for himself with his excellent first touch.

Martial's individual statistics from this simulation were good but not exactly world class. 18 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions is the most he's had in a season for United since