Football
Rob Dawson, Correspondent 7y

Anthony Martial can match Kylian Mbappe's impact - Mikael Silvestre

LOS ANGELES -- Manchester United have already got their own Kylian Mbappe in Anthony Martial, according to former defender Mikael Silvestre.

Mbappe, 18, has become one of the hottest prospects in Europe after leading Monaco to the Champions League semifinals last season.

The France striker has been linked with clubs including Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester City and United this summer, but countryman Silvestre, who spent nine years at Old Trafford, says Martial is every bit as good as the teenager.

Martial left Monaco for United in 2015 but, after an impressive debut season, the 21-year-old struggled under Jose Mourinho last term and was on the end of some public criticism from his manager.

Asked whether Martial could have the same impact for United as Mbappe had for Monaco last season, Silvestre was adamant that he can.

"Yeah, yeah, definitely," said the former France international, who is with Martial and the team on United's tour of the United States.

"Every time he touches the ball, even out here in training when it's early doors, you can sense the danger and the defenders -- I wouldn't say they're afraid -- but you don't dive into a challenge when you're facing Anthony, because he can go left or right, and beat you with speed."

Martial scored 17 goals in his first season at Old Trafford following a £36 million move from France, but he fell out of favour under Mourinho last season and struggled to hold down a regular place in the team. He was a late substitute in the Europa League final against Ajax in May.

Silvestre says the issue emerged after the European Championship in France in 2016, when Martial was substituted at half-time after disappointing display against Albania.

He said: "The turning point for me was the Euros in France. He was substituted in one game, he'd had a difficult first-half, and after that he didn't play anymore.

"Sometimes, when you take a slap to the back of the head, it's difficult to bounce back, and I think the whole season he was trying to get back to his best.

"But his character is a good one, so I think he will answer the critics and do better.

"When you reach that level, when you then have a difficult time, you bounce back, because you are a competitor.

"Anthony has reached the level of Manchester United and the French national team so I think he will answer the critics and improve his game to perform at least as the same level as the first season."

Next season Martial will vie for a starting spot with Marcus Rashford and new signing Romelu Lukaku.

The trio will be expected to fill the void left by Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but Silvestre insists Ibrahimovic's departure, in particular, might be good for Martial.

He said: "Zlatan's aura was big, so was his character, his ego, and what he was spreading around him was sometimes intimidating for the younger players, but also it gives you an example to follow, so it was good to have him around.

"For the younger players and Anthony, you'd expect them to score more goals, and not put all the pressure on Romelu for the first season.

"Marcus has to score more, Anthony too, and all these players will benefit from the work of the team, but it wasn't consistent last season."

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