Cantona: Martial has shades of Ronaldo

Manchester United great Eric Cantona gave a glowing review of fellow Frenchman Anthony Martial, comparing him to former Brazil international Ronaldo.

Martial’s arrival at Old Trafford left many scratching their heads, particularly as the club paid £36million to acquire the France international, but he has proven a decent investment - even at that inflated price - with 17 goals and 11 assists in his debut campaign ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final clash with Crystal Palace.

The 20-year-old announced his arrival at Old Trafford with a stunning solo goal against Liverpool which proved to be the sealer in a 3-1 triumph, and he has not stopped since.

His incredible pace, skill in tight areas and nose for goal has drawn comparisons with Ronaldo, and Cantona says Martial is worthy of the praise.

“He’s very mature for his age. I think he’s the same kind of player as Ronaldo. Of course Ronaldo is a Brazilian, but he’s as strong as him. Martial is skilful, he wants to score goals and he has good vision,” he told MUTV.

Cantona said his compatriot had arrived at the perfect club to nurture his talent, just as United did for another Ronaldo.

“At Manchester, it’s a great club for young players when you are in the academy and also when you are 18, 19 or 20-years-old. [At that age] you need to go and play for a great team and also you need to work with people who will help you because you’re still a young player, just as [Cristiano] Ronaldo, the Portuguese Ronaldo, did when he came to play for United and for [Alex] Ferguson.

“He had the opportunity to win trophies but also Ferguson helped him to be the player he is today.

“And I think he [Martial] has been very clever to choose Manchester United.”