Eight days after announcing himself at Old Trafford with an unforgettable goal against Liverpool, Anthony Martial showed Manchester United supporters that his debut might have been only the beginning.
On 20 September 2015, the 19-year-old made his first Premier League start and scored twice as Louis van Gaal’s United came from behind to beat Southampton 3-2 at St Mary’s.
Southampton took the lead through Graziano Pellè before Martial produced United’s equaliser before half-time.
The Frenchman received the ball inside the penalty area, created space and finished calmly past Maarten Stekelenburg.
His second arrived shortly after the break.
Maya Yoshida attempted to play the ball back towards his goalkeeper, but Martial anticipated the pass, raced through and finished to give United a 2-1 lead.
It continued an extraordinary introduction to English football.
Martial had scored his famous debut goal against Liverpool just eight days earlier. After his two goals at Southampton, he had now scored three Premier League goals from his first three shots on target in the competition.
Juan Mata added United’s third following an extraordinary 45-pass move, providing one of the more memorable examples of the possession-based football Van Gaal was attempting to establish at Old Trafford.
Pellè scored his second late in the game to make it 3-2, but United survived the closing stages to take all three points and move up to second in the Premier League.
Martial had arrived from Monaco earlier that month in a £36 million deal amid considerable scrutiny over the fee paid for a relatively unknown teenager.
Within the space of eight days, the conversation had changed completely.
The debut goal against Liverpool introduced him to Old Trafford.
Two goals on his first Premier League start made it feel as though Manchester United might have found their next star.
