Carabao Cup: Anthony Martial in focus after Manchester United crashes out

Manchester United was knocked out of the League Cup in the third round by West Ham United on Wednesday. The only goal of the match was scored by Manuel Lanzini as he guided his team to the fourth round of the tournament. This defeat meant that Manchester United‘s wait for a first trophy since 2017 got extended.

Lanzini’s strike gave David Moyes a first victory in management at Old Trafford — seven years after he was sacked from Manchester United.

For United, it was a completely changed lineup from the side that won at West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday. In Cristiano Ronaldo‘s absence, Martial was given the opportunity to play the centre-forward role. Apart from Ronaldo, Edison Cavani, too, was rested due to an injury.

Throughout the match, the French football player struggled to find momentum and could not create any real chance. Although United attempted as many as 27 shots in the 90 minutes.

Reacting to the defeat, fans were critical of the 25-year-old as he has only managed to score only one goal in 24 appearances in all competitions. He also remains goalless in his last 15 games in a Reds shirt.

This is how the fans reacted:

Talking about the loss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “We know it’s going to be a long, long journey all season. Champions League, FA Cup, Premier League. We have got loads of games.”

During the post-match conference, when questioned on Martial’s disappointing performance, Solskjaer did not single out any player, however, said that 25-year-old forward ‘will get his chances’ if he keeps working.

“I don’t think it is right to go into individual performances,” Solskjaer told a press conference.

“Anto was the same as the rest of the team. We played some nice football but lacked the cutting edge and he knows what we want from him. He keeps on working and he’ll get his chances,” the Norwegian manager said.