'He Is At The Best Level Of His Career,' Solskjaer Hails Man Utd Forward Ahead Of Europa Match

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hailed Anthony Martial ahead of Manchester United’s Europa League quarter-final clash against Copenhagen on Monday.

Martial scored in Man Utd’s 2-1 win over LASK last Wednesday and that was his 23rd goal of the season for The Red Devils, one more than star teammate Marcus Rashford. The 2019-20 season has turned out to be Martial’s best since his arrival to Old Trafford in 2015.

In an interview with Man Utd’s official website ahead of the Copenhagen match, Solskjaer revealed that Martial has been spending a lot of time in the gym and has evolved as a “powerhouse” of the team. The Norwegian manager also added that the No. 9 has “made huge strides in many aspects of his game” in the current campaign.

"Anto has made huge strides this season in many aspects of his game. Of course, I like him scoring between the posts, scoring simple goals because we know he can score worldies," said Solskjaer.

Further explaining, in the same interview, how Martial’s improved physical condition has made him an exclusive central striker, Solskjaer added, "He's in the gym a lot and working on his fitness and strength – the coaches have done a fantastic job with him. He’s physically at his best in his career, [and we're] looking forward to seeing him improving [with] more to come."

Man Utd are aiming to reach only their second European semi-final since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, doing so in the 2013-14 season when they went on to win the Europa League under Jose Mourinho.

With the likes of Martial, Mason Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba, Man Utd have massively improved recently. After a poor first half of the 2019-20 Premier League, Solskjaer’s side managed to finish third in the table, behind champions Liverpool FC and city rivals Manchester City.

Speaking of the Copenhagen Europa quarter-final match, Man Utd have faced off against these opponents only twice previously. Both the matches took place during the 2006-07 Champions League, where the Red Devils won 3-0 at Old Trafford before losing 1-0 in the return leg.