Mata on Martial: 'He can win a game by himself'

Cape Town - Juan Mata has leapt to the defence of Manchester United team-mate Anthony Martial, insisting the Frenchman is "an incredibly talented player".

The Frenchman has a decent record this season, scoring two goals in his three appearances under coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Martial has been battling a hamstring injury for the last six weeks, and the Red Devils have struggled as a result, with the club dropping down to 12th in the Premier League table.

The former Monaco man has scored 36 goals in 116 league games since he left Ligue 1 in 2015.

United paid an initial £36million for his services, but some sections of United's fanbase believe he should have delivered more since he arrived in Lancashire.

Martial has played in a number of different positions, but he has started through the middle during the early weeks of the season.

Solskjaer's men are next in action against Liverpool on Sunday 20 October and Mata is confident Martial will impress and enjoy a successful campaign with the English giants.

He told Sky Sport News: "He is an incredibly talented player. You can see that since the moment he arrived at the club in his first game against Liverpool.

"In every training session, the way he treats the ball, the way he takes on people, the way he can win a game by himself.

"I love this kind of player with such big talent, and I love to play with them. He is a very, very good player. He is still young, and hopefully, he has an incredible career ahead of him."

Martial's return will be a welcomed boost for United as they try to improve their league form. Solskjaer's side have won just one of their last five matches, while they have been beaten by West Ham United and Newcastle United in recent weeks.

Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Mason Greenwood, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bisska and Phil Jones are all battling issues ahead of the game against Liverpool.

- TeamTalk Media