Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has compared Anthony Martial to Brazilian great Ronaldo. The young forward has had a fantastic first season with the club, cementing a first-team spot in his debut campaign.
The Frenchman’s price tag raised several eyebrows at the start but has proved to become an invaluable asset to the club. Barring David De Gea , he has been United’s best player this season. The Red Devils were in the running until the very last weekend for a top 4 spot and that was down to Martial’s form.
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Cantona who was the catalyst that inspired United’s period of success in the 1990’s believes his old team have got a really special player in Martial.
In an exclusive interview with MUTV he said, “He’s very mature for his age. I think he’s the same kind of player as Ronaldo. Of course Ronaldo is a Brazilian, but he’s as strong as him. Martial is skilful, he wants to score goals and he has good vision.”
Cantona believes choosing United over other EPL clubs was the right move the for the 20-year-old.
“At Manchester it’s a great club for young players when you are in the Academy and also when you are 18/19/20 years old. [At that age] you need to go and play for a great team and also you need to work with people who will help you because you’re still a young player, just as Ronaldo, the Portuguese Ronaldo, did when he came to play for United and for Ferguson.”
“He had the opportunity to win trophies but also Ferguson helped him to be the player he is today. And I think he [Martial] has been very clever to choose Manchester United.”
Martial holds key for United against Palace
Martial ended the Premier League season as top scorer for the club and was the biggest attacking threat for his team. Van Gaal has been criticized heavily for his tactics and stifling the natural flair of the team but if he wants to rebuild next season Martial would the ideal player to build the team around.
Martial will be crucial for United when they face Crystal Palace later today as the club attempt to win their first FA Cup since 2004 and their first piece of silverware since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club three years ago.
Cantona knows all about winning having 4 Premier League titles and 2 FA cups to his name. United fans will hope Martial will have the same influence in the coming years.
