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Man Utd star branded 'unplayable' by Danny Higginbotham - 'He's got everything'
MANCHESTER UNITED forward Anthony Martial is “unplayable” when on his game.
That is the opinion of Danny Higginbotham, who spent six years at the club.
Despite some steely comebacks against Newcastle and Chelsea in the league earlier this month, the feeling around Old Trafford is still sombre.
A 1-0 loss to Juventus on Tuesday night affirmed to Jose Mourinho, the board and fans that the team is far from capable of challenging with Europe’s elite.
Martial was among the Manchester United strikers who failed to penetrate the superb Old Lady backline.
When Martial is at his best he is unplayable at times
That was despite the Frenchman’s impressive performance against Chelsea in the previous match, where his two well-taken goals put United ahead.
The 22-year-old cut a maligned figure at the start of the season after he was fined by Mourinho for an elongated departure of their pre-season tour to witness the birth of his second child.
Former defender Higginbotham believes Martial is too good a player to leave out, however, telling Sky Sports: "He is one of those players that, when he is in his stride, he is so difficult to stop.
“He is quick, he is strong and he is skilful.
"The one thing with Martial - and this can be a frustration at times - is consistency. When he is at his best he is unplayable at times.”
Martial has previously got under Mourinho’s skin for his perceived laziness with regards to defensive duties.
In the past, Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard have been favoured by the Portuguese boss because of that aspect.
"If you look at the Champions League game in midweek, one of the problems that they had was Martial was fantastic going forward but at times he can switch off defensively,” Higginbotham concurred.
“[But] he is an absolutely magnificent player. He has got everything about him.
"We saw against Chelsea in particular in the second half what he is all about on that left-hand side, drifting inside at times.
"But it is just about getting the consistency from him.
“If you get the consistency he is playing week in, week out for Manchester United because I think he is that good.”