Manchester United Need Anthony Martial to Maintain His Excellent Form

As Manchester United continue their toughest period of the season so far, they will need Anthony Martial to maintain the form that has seen him make such a good start at the club.

Fortunately, the 19-year-old shows no signs of slowing down, putting in a man-of-the-match performance in France's 2-1 win over Denmark.

The youngster provided a beautifully weighted through-ball of an assist for Olivier Giroud, playing off the left in a 4-3-3, but that was not his only contribution.

He showed plenty of his willingness to run at defenders but once again demonstrated that he has a calm head on his young shoulders, laying off passes when that was a better option than a speculative dribble or shot.

His decision-making is possibly the most impressive thing about his game—technical brilliance is a joy to behold in young players, but the kind of big-game-ready intelligence Martial displays is an unusual trait in a teenager. There is rarely a hint of inexperience in his choices.

Perhaps that is to come if his form dips, but Louis van Gaal will be hoping that is not imminent. October was always going to be tough for United—they arrived into the month on top of the league but fell flat on their faces at the first hurdle. How they bounce back from defeat at Arsenal will be crucial given the fixtures that lie ahead.

United are preparing to face Everton away, CSKA Moscow away, Manchester City, then Middlesbrough at home and Crystal Palace away. Only one of those fixtures looks anything other than very challenging.

Given United's away form during Van Gaal's tenure, the home derby perhaps looks less of an intimidating prospect than a trip to Goodison Park—where United were embarrassed last season. It will be intriguing to see whether the Dutchman makes tactical changes given the debacle at Arsenal.

Everton are a reasonable facsimile of the Gunners in terms of style, and last season Roberto Martinez's side enjoyed success on the counter-attack against United.

The Red Devils cannot afford to make the same kinds of tactical mistakes they made against Arsenal where their high-press left far too much room in behind their midfield.

Whatever the tactical nuance of the game, though, it seems fairly clear that United will need Martial to perform.

Other than Juan Mata, none of United's other forwards are in any kind of form. The folkloric understanding of Wayne Rooney is that he never plays well at Goodison, and it takes him a while to get back to form after an injury.

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Both of those things combine on Saturday, and his form was bad enough before the break. Memphis Depay has not been able to match Martial in terms of adapting to the Premier League and life at United. There is evidence to suggest he will be able to do so, but for now, his impact has been relatively minimal.

Thus it is on Martial's broad shoulders that much already rests.

Fortunately, that does not seem to be a problem for the youngster. He was the only United player to emerge from the game against Arsenal with much credit. He has not yet put in a bad performance. The tests that await may be tougher than those which have come before, but all the evidence suggests he is ready for them.

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Van Gaal's time at United has certainly not been an unqualified success, but if Martial's performances so far are anything to go by, he has got at least one big decision very right indeed.

The winds of October may just feel a little less cold thanks to the brilliant young Frenchman.