Anthony Martial given vote of confidence as Erik ten Hag puts ball in his court

Erik ten Hag is convinced he can revive Anthony Martial's Manchester United career - as long as the forward remains focused.

Martial made it two goals in as many games as United followed up their tour-opening 4-0 win over Liverpool with another rout in front of a 74,157 crowd at the MCG.

France striker Martial scored United's second with a composed finish, with Ten Hag adamant he can help the 26-year-old rediscover the form that saw him plunder 23 goals in the 2019-20 season.

Martial is back at United after a miserable loan spell at Sevilla in the second half of last season, which saw him score just once in 12 games.

While his ability has never been in question, in particular his pace, ability to beat opponents and finish clinically, his questionable attitude and work-rate have ultimately held him back.

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But Ten Hag believes he can unlock that potential and said: "I'm sure he can come back even better.

"I think, when he has the right focus and the right motivation and he works hard, he will produce, because he's a good player.

"When he has the right focus and every day delivers much, then he will produce - but it's up to him."

United conceded after just five minutes, their defence exposed as Melbourne Victory took a shock lead, skipper Harry Maguire and fellow defenders Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw all culpable.

But Scott McTominay levelled, Martial put them ahead on half-time, while a second-half strike from Marcus Rashford and a late own goal sealed the comfortable win.

Ten Hag said: "The first goal was a setback. It cannot happen, but it happened.

"I don't want to talk about the individual, because I think it was from the start high up the pitch, the wrong choices, then it ends up [collapsing] like a pack of cards.

"It's not one individual, it is more the team who made mistakes.

"It was the second game and we turned it around - hat was the really good thing. We didn't get down, we reacted and we dealt with the setback.

Just as he did in the win over Liverpool in Bangkok, ten Hag made 10 outfield changes at the break, to give his players as much game-time as possible.

The likes of Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho made way for a side that contained Rashford, Donny van de Beek and new signing Tyrell Malacia.

Young midfield duo Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal were both influential in the second-half, with ten Hag said to have been impressed with the pair on tour.

Asked about the youngsters, Ten Hag said: "This is why we brought them.

"I want to make an impression on all the players and they got the chance to show what they are capable of - if they can contribute immediately or whether or not they need a loan period.

"It's good that United has so many talents. They also need improvement and development."