Louis van Gaal Talks Anthony Martial After Manchester United Draw at CSKA Moscow

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal branded Anthony Martial's handball "stupid" after the Frenchman gifted CSKA Moscow an early penalty in the Red Devils' 1-1 draw in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Martial's stray arm drew a very avoidable spot-kick, which Seydou Doumbia eventually converted after David de Gea saved Roman Eremenko's initial effort.

It put United on the back foot after just 15 minutes, and Van Gaal was clearly not happy with his young striker, per the Press Association's Paul Hirst and Mail Online's Chris Wheeler:

"They had the present of an Anthony Martial penalty. Martial is a human being, he reacts and it is a stupid reaction, but sometimes these things happen. He said it is the first time it happens to him, if it always happens with me, it's a pity."

However, the Dutchman was quick to praise Martial for his response in netting the second-half equaliser, which earned the Red Devils a point, per the Guardian's Jamie Jackson:

Van Gaal said he was not tempted at any point, though, to move Martial into a more central role having started him—for the second game running—on the left, per Jackson:   

The decision seemed a strange one—particularly against CSKA, as United were in need of a goal and Wayne Rooney showed no penetration or dynamism up top. Indeed, football writer Miguel Delaney pulled no punches in his assessment of the England international:

Football writers Liam Canning and Jack Lang are among those who wish to see Van Gaal restore Martial to the No. 9 position:

Martial has been a sensation since arriving in the summer and has now bagged six goals and three assists in all competitions for the Red Devils, showing remarkable composure to go with his electric pace.

By contrast, Rooney has for large spells been incredibly disappointing this season and is perhaps only still in the starting lineup thanks to being captain. 

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Martial has been a much more effective outlet for United, so the sooner he's restored to his natural position, the better they'll play—which will be particularly crucial in Sunday's Manchester derby, as a performance akin to the one in Moscow will see them struggle against their archrivals.

Indeed, the United boss criticised United's first-half display, though he praised the players' attitude after going behind early on, per Jackson:

Lastly, Van Gaal believes his side are in a good position to qualify for the competition's knockout stages, per Jackson:

United are currently two points behind Wolfsburg and level on four with CSKA. The Red Devils should be able to top the group from their position, though, as two of their remaining three matches are at Old Trafford.