The French international went on from been an exit-bound player to the most in form player at the theatre of dreams in less than six months. Martial has netted six goals in his last 12 league games for Manchester United, and to the surprise of some supporters the former Monaco man has credited his trainer with a change in his fortunes.
The Frenchman’s improved work rate and following of tactical instruction has made him Mourinho’s favorite in the left flank of attack.
In an interview with the club’s channel, Martial: “I think that [my improvement] is more on a tactical level”. “I try and take up good positions so I can best help out my team”. “I have been trying to work harder defensively too, and to really try and help out the side when we aren’t in possession of the ball”. “We work a lot on tactics and I try and do my best”. “I listen carefully to the advice of all the coaching staff we have here and I find that this helps me a lot.”
When issue concerning Mourinho’s continuous criticism of his players was raised, Martial was quick to calm down tension, by saying: “The key to it is playing games”. “For me, when you play in a game, that’s when you get back your enjoyment and you start to pick up your form once again”. “If you don’t feature regularly and you only take part in training sessions, you might still be in decent form but it’s not the same as when you are playing in matches”. “I hope I can continue to put together a good run of games and perform well in them”.