Ten Hag has found unlikely remedy to Cristiano Ronaldo headache at Man Utd

Manchester United are only two friendly pre-season matches into the Erik ten Hag era, but already there are some promising signs of progress being made.

United followed up their 4-0 victory over Liverpool in Bangkok with a 4-1 win over Melbourne Victory on Friday. It is of course unwise to get too excited about the results of matches which are put on for commercial reasons by clubs and for fitness-finding reasons for players. Yet there is one aspect of the games which United fans can't help but have noticed.

Anthony Martial started both matches as Ten Hag's chosen centre-forward in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Cristiano Ronaldo has been conspicuous by his absence - and already it seems Martial might be the biggest winner from the 37-year-old's efforts to push for a summer transfer.

Had things gone differently, it could easily have been Martial who was missing from Ten Hag's pre-season tour. The Frenchman returned from a miserable loan spell with Sevilla at the end of the 2021/22 season in bad shape. He was unhappy and searching for a fresh start. It seemed as though United would grant his wish of ending his seven-year stay at Old Trafford.

Fast-forward a few months and things look completely different. The uncertainty surrounding Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani's exit on a free transfer and Mason Greenwood's continued unavailability has thrust Martial into the spotlight alongside Marcus Rashford. Ten Hag is still looking for reinforcements in the summer transfer window, but for the meantime Martial is his number one striker.

So far at least, the 26-year-old has responded well to that responsibility. He scored against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory and that has been enough to turn heads and allow people to consider whether he not only has a future at United, but could even be a major player in the Ten Hag era.

The United manager has certainly entertained the idea. "I'm sure he can come back even better," Ten Hag told reporters on Friday. "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."

Such has been his steady regression that it is easy to forget now that Martial is a hugely experienced player for United. He has made 269 appearances since his £36million move from Monaco in 2015, contributing 79 goals and 50 assists. That record isn't far off Rashford - 302 games, 93 goals, 57 assists - and yet the narrative surrounding the two is quite different.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Anthony Martial turn around his Manchester United career under Erik ten Hag? Comment below.

Now, after Rashford's worst ever United season in 2021/22, the two are in a similar boat under Ten Hag. It may have been Rashford who described the Dutchman's arrival as "a fresh start, something I'm looking forward to," this week, but it could easily have been Martial.

That is part of the allure of a new manager coming in. Martial was nowhere near the first-choice starting XI in the closing stages of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's reign, or during Ralf Rangnick's time at the club. He scored just once in 12 games at Sevilla. And yet, with opportunity knocking and a bit of confidence shown in him, suddenly the idea of him being at the bottom of an upward curve doesn't appear so farfetched.

There are still four more pre-season friendlies to come for United, against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano before they begin their Premier League against Brighton on August 7. There is also plenty of time left until the summer transfer window shuts on September 1. No chickens should be counted. But there are enough signs of a Martial revival to spark some cautious optimism.