There’s a new Martial in town

Man United 3 Liverpool 1: Michael Carrick was not alone in expressing surprise when Louis van Gaal paid an astronomical fee for the young French forward Anthony Martial earlier this month. The Man United midfielder confessed he barely recognised the name of his new team-mate when his club sent a cheque for nearly £40m to AS Monaco.

The key difference now lies in the fact the veteran England international enjoyed a closer view than most as Martial announced his arrival on the Premier League scene in stunning fashion. It was a debut goal, some 21 minutes after his introduction as a second-half substitute, that drew inevitable comparisons between Martial, and Thierry Henry, the compatriot with whom he has mostly closely been compared since his signing.

Pace, power, vision and, above all, instinctive and nerveless finishing were trademarks of Henry and were superbly demonstrated by Martial as he killed off a late Liverpool rally in front of the watching Carrick, by then on the United bench after making way for Morgan Schneiderlin.