“I started watching United at the time when Eric Cantona was in the team, and I loved watching him play”, Mkhitaryan told United’s official website.
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While Manchester United have now won five Premier League contests on the trot, before then they’d won just two out of 11 games.
The scene was already becoming set though as Middlesbrough began to camp out in their own box and United were inches away from scoring after 14 minutes when Paul Pogba’s brilliant overhead kick cannoned against the post and bounced to safety.
Martial deserved it, as he turned in a Man of the Match performance. The Teessiders sit the in 15th place and have not been involved in a relgation scrap for half of the 2015/16 season campaign.
Jose Mourinho’s side looked to end 2016 with another win to continue their conquest on the top four positions, but it was Aitor Karanka’s side that came flying out of the traps.
Martial clattered the bar with a 30-yard shot in the first half before providing the run and cross for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score with an effort that was controversially ruled out.
And with his final roll of the dice, he withdrew Chris Smalling and sent on Marcus Rashford, switching to a three-man defence in the hope of forcing an equaliser. Adama Traore and Gaston Ramirez will resume duties as wingers. The ball in from Calum Chambers was beautifully headed down by Alvaro Negredo, and it was easy enough for Leadbitter to fire past David De Gea.
What’s more: The mystique that has always been missing for Manchester United might just be settling in, too.
Sevilla are the latest club interested in Martial and the player’s agent, Philippe Lamboley, was recently quoted talking up a potential move.
United are not short of attacking options even without Rooney who, in any case, has become an increasingly peripheral figure at Old Trafford this season. It’s been an open secret throughout the Premier League all season long.
Middlesbrough have lost three of their last four league matches.
Manchester United hold a 16-8-4 lead in top-flight league matches and are unbeaten in their last seven (4-3-0) at Old Trafford since a 1-0 defeat on March 23, 2002.
But United, with Martial lively from the start, were soon pressing.
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“Manchester United caused us more problems than Manchester City did when we drew there”.
