Richard Buxton: Anthony Martial is Man United's man for now
His instinctive strike against Spurs shows he is United's immediate solution, rather than Greenwood
Mason Greenwood represents Manchester United's future, but Anthony Martial is their immediate solution.
The Frenchman's instinctive, if fortuitous, strike in last night's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in an International Champions Cup match in Shanghai helped him live up to recent high praise from manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Last Friday, the Norwegian said in Singapore that Martial can be a "world-class forward".
| TOTTENHAM | MAN UNITED |
| 1 | 2 |
| (Lucas Moura 65) | (Anthony Martial 21, Angel Gomes 80) |
The France international did not score last Saturday's 1-0 win over Inter Milan at the National Stadium, but made amends in Shanghai last night by bagging the first goal for United after 21 minutes, before Lucas Moura equalised for Spurs on 65 minutes.
Angel Gomes then came up with the winner 10 minutes from time.
Unflattering comparisons and hefty expectations continue to go hand-in-hand.
So do hype and hyperbole, with Greenwood standing in the position Martial previously occupied in 2015.
The teenager's stock has now risen to a level where United will not be able to hold back the tide for much longer.
His fledgling career already reads like a story plucked from Boy's Own.
Thrown in at the deep end in a Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain, followed by successive English Premier League outings at Old Trafford, this pre-season has only strengthened that fairy-tale narrative with goals against their bitter rivals Leeds United and the might of Inter Milan.
United have attempted to keep Greenwood firmly out of the media spotlight this summer, including their own in-house television channel.
Overwhelming the teenager with too much too young is not in keeping with the club's fabled approach to nurturing youth.
But neither is Solskjaer's unhelpful refusal to temper expectations surrounding the 17-year-old.
GIDDY EXCITEMENT
The Norwegian has moved on from misty-eyed nostalgia and is heading full steam into giddy excitement; shamelessly talking up his rising star to the nearest available microphone.
Inadvertently, he has also set the bar impossibly high by drawing parallels between the forward's current trajectory and that of his former teammate Ryan Giggs.
Martial had to contend with the burden of arguably heftier similarities with a certain Thierry Henry.
If Solskjaer is to be believed, Greenwood is heading for a starring role in United's EPL opener with Chelsea on Aug 11 - most likely at the expense of an outgoing Romelu Lukaku.
Yet the 20-time English champions need like-for-like personnel rather than a leap of blind faith.
Racking up 30 goals in 29 appearances for the club's various developmental squads last season may be impressive, but it does not reflect the reality of their current predicament.
United's season - and Solskjaer's fate - hinges on Champions League qualification.
Martial may not be a flawless option but there is still a guarantee of goals.
In all bar one season at the Theatre of Dreams, the 23-year-old has comfortably broken into double figures.
He also boasts the wisdom of seeing off great pretenders.
In Shanghai, too, he showed up his latest challenger during a bright 45-minute outing, while Greenwood struggled with both the humid night air and increased scrutiny placed upon him by an excellent pre-season.
Flourishing in the relaxed tempo of pre-season, however, is no substitute for the cut and thrust of the EPL.
Martial's experience provides United with a relative comfort blanket in the event of Lukaku sealing his anticipated move to Inter before the transfer window closes.
Unlike his predecessors, Solskjaer needs to focus on the here and now rather than pining for a brighter tomorrow.
TOTTENHAM: Paulo Gazzaniga, Kyle Walker-Peters (Juan Foyth 46), Japhet Tanganga (George Marsh 70), Jan Vertonghen (Toby Alderweireld 46), Anthony Georgiou (Harvey White 62), Harry Winks (Oliver Skipp 46), Tanguy Ndombele (Lucas Moura 46), Moussa Sissoko (Christian Eriksen 62), Dele Alli (Jack Roles 62), Troy Parrott (Erik Lamela 46), Harry Kane (Son Heung Min 46)
MAN UNITED: David de Gea (Sergio Romero 46), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Diogo Dalot 46), Chris Smalling (Eric Bailly 46, Axel Tuanzebe 56), Marcos Rojo (Victor Lindelof 46), Ashley Young (Luke Shaw 46), Scott McTominay (Nemanja Matic 46), Paul Pogba (Fred 46), Mason Greenwood (Jesse Lingard 46), Andreas Pereira (Juan Mata 46), Daniel James (Angel Gomes 46), Anthony Martial (Marcus Rashford 46)
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