Anthony Martial is “world class”, according to Manchester United team-mate Ashley Young, with his continued absence from the France squad the cause of some bemusement.
A lack of regular game time at club level has contributed to a highly-rated forward being overlooked by his country of late.
Martial missed out on a place in Didier Deschamps’ World Cup squad over the summer and was forced to watch on from afar as Les Bleus tasted global glory in Russia.
Jose Mourinho has continued to favour other options on a regular basis in 2018-19, but turned to his 22-year-old forward for inspiration during a trip to Chelsea.
Martial rewarded that show of faith with a brace at Stamford Bridge which had United within seconds of claiming a notable scalp, before Ross Barkley’s late leveller sparked wild scenes on and off the field.
Despite seeing his efforts only land a point for the Red Devils in west London, Young feels that a man who can divide opinion once again proved his undoubted class.
He told United’s official website of Martial: “He is fantastic, he is a world-class player.
“To be honest I am not sure why he is not in the France squad, but that is down to the French manager.
“For me, I see him day in, day out and he is some talent.
“He is unbelievable and he has shown his finishing [ability] day in, day out at training. He is a fantastic player and he got the goals today.”
Martial has now started three successive Premier League fixtures for United.
He has found the target in his last two outings, with an important contribution against Newcastle prior to the international break having helped the Red Devils to a stunning 3-2 victory.
An extended run of games will be required if he is to produce his best on a consistent basis, but Mourinho does appear to be warming to the idea of giving him more minutes.
A settled spot in the United side should also help to curb some of the transfer talk which has started to build around Martial again heading towards the January window.
