Anthony Martial shows Ten Hag that Joel Glazer just might be right about him

Anthony Martial reminded the Manchester United faithful that he has the ability to revive his flatlining career with a stellar performance against long-time rivals Liverpool on the Red Devils pre-season tour of Thailand.

The Frenchman is burdened with the bulk of the goal-scoring responsibility at the moment in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo's absence. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is yet to return to the club after his summer holiday and has told the United hierarchy of his desires to leave the club.

While that issue is being rectified, Martial has been handed the chance to go and show his new manager what he can do in a United shirt after he struggled on loan at Sevilla during the latter half of last season. Nine La Liga games brought about zero goals and zero chance of staying in Spain.

As a result, he is now United's responsibility once more and new manager Erik ten Hag has opted against trying to flog the Frenchman and instead offered up pre-season as the perfect platform to prove himself. Martial has hit the ground running in that regard.

Lining up against Liverpool for the club's first pre-season game in Bangkok, it was Martial who put United three goals to the good inside the opening 33 minutes with a fantastic solo effort. In some way, the strike could be viewed as rather fitting.

It was against the Reds that Martial announced himself to the Old Trafford faithful all those years ago after signing from Monaco as the most expensive teenager in world football history at the time. It may have been that debut performance back in 2015 that caught United owner Joel Glazer's attention.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Martial be an important player for United next season? Comment below

The American businessman is such a fan of Martial he once blocked the forward's exit under Jose Mourino's reign. United were keen on signing then-Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic and viewed selling Martial as a perfect way to raise funds.

However, Glazer stepped in and refused to sanction the Frenchman's exit despite the obvious benefits. It is rumoured that the United co-owner once compared Martial to Pele, such is the esteem in which he holds United's number nine in.

While there will be little dispute from anyone else over the fact Martial hasn't quite reached Pele's level, he can play a vital part in Ten Hag's debut season at the helm.

During the 2019/20 season, Martial was often deployed as a centre-forward by then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ten Hag used him in the same way against Liverpool in Thailand to incredibly effective results.