‘Martial needs to up his game at Man Utd’ – Berbatov tells Frenchman to use Cavani as a role model

Anthony Martial needs to “up his game” at Manchester United, says Dimitar Berbatov, with the France international urged to use Edinson Cavani as a role model when it comes to being a fearsome number nine.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been tinkering with his options when it comes to a central striking berth.

After parting with Romelu Lukaku in the summer of 2019, Martial and Marcus Rashford have been given opportunities to prove that they can lead the line.

Both have delivered personal best returns when it comes to goals, but questions continue to be asked of whether either is a long-term solution for United down the middle.

Experienced Uruguayan Cavani has been acquired to help aid that cause, with the 33-year-old proving that he has lost none of his touch through productive early outings in England.

Berbatov believes the former Paris Saint-Germain star could be the perfect teacher for Martial, with it clear that the 24-year-old Frenchman needs to improve his game in order to become a reliable option for the Red Devils.

The ex-United frontman told Betfair: “I was thinking about him [Martial] and there were fans messaging me on social media about him asking what is going on with him and why he isn't producing and scoring goals. He needs to up his game, not only him but the whole team too. In the really important games he need to shine even more.

“I've been surprised with how well Edinson Cavani has performed, the guy is 33 years old and he's running around the pitch like he's a 25-year-old, fighting for the ball, making spaces, the passion he had is still there and that is something that Martial needs to look at and improve on. He needs to bully defenders and get dirty from time to time.

“He has the other attributes like technique, speed and stamina and other things like that, but in some games, like the one against PSG, you need to be a bit nasty and when you have an opportunity to score, you need to score.

“I hope it's just a blip for him because I like him as a player and as a human, I hope he can continue and get better with his development. I can tell that Solskjaer likes him a lot as well with the amount of game time he is getting. Hopefully, after the games, win or lose he looks for advice from Ole, and with Cavani there he can see how he is moving around and they've both been in the French league so they will know each other.

“The examples are around him, he only needs to look around him and ask, it's as simple as that. On the training pitch he just needs to stay and work on things that may be missing from his game.”

Martial has just two goals to his name this season, and none through his last six appearances for club and country, and will be looking to find a spark as United head towards the hectic festive period.