Realistic Expectations for Anthony Martial at Manchester United in 2016/17

Working out the realistic expectations for Anthony Martial's season is more of a challenge than it would have been had this question been asked in the immediate aftermath of his injury-time winner in the FA Cup semi-final against Everton at Wembley Stadium in April.

By that point in the season, Martial had self-evidently become United's main man. Indeed, in a heart-over-head decision, he ended up in first place in 2015/16's Power Rankings, ahead of David De Gea. 

In that, it says: "De Gea might have been United's best player, but time and again Martial was the best reason to watch the Red Devils play. That's why he's No. 1."

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However, this season, the France international will have some much-needed competition in the worth-the-price-of-admission stakes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has arrived and claimed the No. 9 spot. Marcus Rashford emerged as a foil for Martial and a potential usurper of the crown. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a joy to watch.

And, of course, United could be on the verge of signing Paul Pogba, one of the most exciting players in the game today.

So Martial does not need to provide all of the sparkle any more. And with players who scored 49 league goals in the 2015/16 campaign added to the squad in the summer, and more to potentially arrive, he will not need to score all of the goals either.

The best-case scenario in all of this is that Martial will get to develop at a slightly more normal rate than was required of him last season. And if the sports scientists suggest he should, he might even get a break from time to time.

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Reclassified as a midfielder for 2016/17, Anthony Martial could have a big impact in #FPL: https://t.co/zjbD7OTpXe pic.twitter.com/BCk6umcr4c

— Premier League (@premierleague) August 5, 2016"

His position in the squad looks locked down to the left wing. The symbolism of his numerical switch from No. 9 to No. 11 is not the only reason. Other than Mkhitaryan's ability to play anywhere across the midfield or attack, the only obvious competitor for Martial's spot on the left would be the stuttering Memphis Depay.

At centre-forward, Ibrahimovic and Rashford will battle it out—with the latter no doubt acting as deputy. Martial has first dibs on the left flank. It will be a surprise if he gets much, if any, time in the middle, but unless his form dips a good deal, he can feel secure in his role in the side.

And he does not have to play centrally to have an enormous influence, as he showed last season. His tip-toed, gliding running style, his superb close control and a knack for finding the net combined to produce most of United's best moments last time out and no shortage of important goals.

He hit the back of the net 17 times in all competitions and notched a further eight assists. Before this summer's revamp, it would perhaps have been reasonable to hope for an improvement on those decent numbers this time around. But now the most important metric for Martial is not goals scored but his direct involvement in goals.

What is vital for the Frenchman is to transition from being the only good thing about a stuttering attack to becoming a crucial part of a functional unit. And that is a potentially challenging adjustment. From the left, with Ibrahimovic in the middle, chance creation will be an important part of his role.

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TACTICAL THOUGHTS: ANTHONY MARTIAL: https://t.co/cOBBeLF6AD Piece on the site by new contributor Shaun May pic.twitter.com/aL8gvAPPJe

— manutdtactics.com (@manutdtactics) July 29, 2016"

During Euro 2016, France fans would have cause for justifiable grievance that Martial was not given more time at No. 9. Manager Didier Deschamps had obviously pegged him as an option at left wing or nowhere, preferring to replace Olivier Giroud with the remarkably ineffective Andre-Pierre Gignac.

For those who had seen Martial in action for United, watching France was maddening given he would so often have given them an option they were badly lacking. Playing in a central role, he could have helped stretch defences late on in games. There would have been a chance for him to make a telling difference in the final, for example.

But United boss Jose Mourinho's decision that left is the place for Martial is different to Deschamps'. The France boss did not have the options United's new manager does in central areas.

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He could surprise us all, but between the change in shirt number, the acquisition of Ibrahimovic and the role Martial has played in pre-season, that seems unlikely.

So in terms of position, left wing is the realistic expectation. In terms of performance, we should expect some form of more of the same.

Wayne Rooney's testimonial on Wednesday did not have much to commend it as a football match, but there was one moment in particular worth watching. Martial dragged the ball past a defender with the sole of his boot, then burst into space.

Nothing came of the move, but it is the kind of skill he will use over and again to change the dynamic of an attacking passage of play. It is why watching him is so electric, why he carries such potency in possession.

He will build a relationship on the pitch with Luke Shaw—something he was never able to do last season—and Ibrahimovic. It is realistic to expect some good outcomes from that trio. Indeed, Shaw and Martial's youth (the full-back is 21, and the Frenchman is 20), speed and ability to get in behind defences will be crucial in terms of pulling attention away from Ibrahimovic. Martial should rack up a lot of assists.

With Mkhitaryan's magic on the right, the balance looks excellent in theory.

In practice, it is also reasonable to expect United's new No. 11 to have dips in form. After all, his illustrious predecessor once removed in the shirt certainly did. The sepia tones of nostalgia and the glittering success of his career cloud the memory, but Ryan Giggs had his difficult spells, both as a youngster and later in his career.

And Martial had rough spots last season, the inevitable consequence of his youth. Because he looks so assured so often, and because his ice-cool demeanour so starkly contrasts with Rashford's puppy-dog enthusiasm, it is easy to forget his age.

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While it would have seemed laughable to suggest this during previous manager Louis van Gaal's tenure, it is not that hard to imagine him losing his place to Memphis at some point, assuming Mourinho can get more out of the Netherlands international than the former Netherlands coach did.

If United are going to get anything out of their investment in Memphis, they will need to give him some game time to give him a chance to develop. So Martial may play fewer games than 49 he did last season.

That would be no bad thing, though. United should never have been reliant on such a young man. Martial should be allowed to develop in safer circumstances this campaign, though his ego will have to cope with the effective downgrade in the pecking order that the new signings have resulted in.

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If he gets a combined 20 goals and assists in all competitions, that would be an excellent return. Last season would suggest he has a 30-goal season in him at some point in his career, but 2016/17 will not be it.

The realistic expectation here is that he gets fans off their seats from time to time, scores a few important goals and helps the attack function as a unit.

It will be an important season for the young man as he continues to develop into the superstar his remarkable talent looks set to make him.