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Manchester United have signed a 'new player' with Anthony Martial's return to form says Jose Mourinho

The Frenchman has only managed four Premier League goals this season

Monday 24 April 2017 11:22 BST

Martial showed the sort of form which he had throughout last season (Getty)

Jose Mourinho believes he has a “new player” for the remainder of the season after Anthony Martial’s superb performance in Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Burnley on Sunday.

Martial was a surprise starter, with Marcus Rashford left on the bench despite his fine form of late, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic ruled out for the season – and possibly longer.

And the Frenchman scored a stunning opener at Turf Moor, starting and finishing a wonderful counter-attacking goal. It was his 25^th as a United player, a milestone triggering an £8.5m payment to former club Monaco.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

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1/22Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Tom Heaton – 6 out of 10

The keeper made a multitude of vital saves, but he was beaten by both Martial and Rooney.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Matthew Lowton – 5 out of 10

He looked promising moving up the pitch, but defensively he was lacklustre and wasteful in possession.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Michael Keane – 6 out of 10

The defender done well today to keep the United attacks to a minimum. He stood his ground well and looked sharp.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Ben Mee – 7 out of 10

Patrolled the defensive third today – he made a handful of vital interceptions, tackled hard and worked relentlessly.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Stephen Ward – 5 out of 10

Struggled to keep up with the pace of the United side going forward, which made him look out of his depth against a side of such aptitude.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

George Boyd – 6 out of 10

Boyd’s confidence was encouraging today – he looked menacing when he picked up the ball and charged at United. He forced a remarkable save out of De Gea in the early stages.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Joey Barton – 5 out of 10

Unlike we expect from Barton, he was giving the ball away far too often today. His passing was wasteful.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Jeff Hendrick – 6 out of 10

He was picking up the ball in the middle and charging into the United half confidently, which was starting the majority of Burnley moves. Encouraging to see.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Robbie Brady – 6 out of 10

As always, Brady’s deliveries were on point, which would have been lethal had United not been so dominant in the air.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Andre Gray – 6 out of 10

The striker made space for himself, ran the channels and always provided an outlet for the midfielders.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Ashley Barnes – 4 out of 10

You would be excused for not realising that Barnes was out there today. He looked lost and failed to make an impact on this fixture.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

David De Gea – 6 out of 10

It was a relatively straight forward day at the office for De Gea, with very few Burnley moves going forward.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Ashley Young – 7 out of 10

He did well defensively, but he certainly proved problematic for Burnley going forward. He was pacey and pumped balls up to the strikers.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Eric Bailly – 6 out of 10

He defended well throughout, but he appeared to pick up a knock towards the end. Mourinho will be hoping that it is nothing serious.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Daley Blind – 6 out of 10

He stood up well when Burnley attacked, rather than just lunging into the challenges. This stopped countless moves from The Clarets going forward.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Matteo Darmian – 6 out of 10

Was dragged out of position from time-to-time, which allowed the Burnley wide players too much space. However, on the ball he done well and started United moves from the back.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Ander Herrera – 7 out of 10

He was a key element to almost every United move going forward. He assisted Martial’s opener.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Marouane Fellaini – 5 out of 10

He continued to give away unnecessary fouls today, which provided Burnley their best chances of the game.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Paul Pogba – 7 out of 10

The Frenchman ran the midfield today. He was picking up possession and pumping balls up to the forwards continuously.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Jesse Lingard – 7 out of 10

His excellent ability to read the game was evident. He used the width well and opened the game up, at times.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Anthony Martial – 8 out of 10

He was by far United’s best player today. He scored the first, assisted the second and proved himself to be a fitting replacement for the injured Ibrahimovic.

Burnley 0 Manchester United 2 player ratings

Wayne Rooney – 6 out of 10

The 31-year-old scored United’s second, but aside from that he played very narrow which limited the options that they had going forward.

Prior to the game, Mourinho had publicly singled out the 21-year-old for criticism about his work-rate and application of the Portuguese’s methods, before saying he should learn from Rashford, who is two years his junior.

“He has to understand what we need from him but it's not just for us but it's also for him,” Mourinho said.

“If he wants to become a very special player - he can do that - then he has to go in a certain direction and today he showed this attitude and appetite. We are happy because we have a new player until the end of the season.”

United, who are now 23 games unbeaten in the Premier League, face Manchester City at the Etihad on Thursday night, with the added significance that Mourinho’s side will move into fourth at the expense of Pep Guardiola’s with a win.

However, Mourinho is also focused on reaching the Champions League by winning the Europa League, after being drawn against Celta Vigo in the semi-final.

“The gap is one point - but we are a bit in trouble as we have an eye on Celta Vigo too,” he added.

“This makes it more difficult for us as the Premier League fourth position is possible but it's not a trophy. In this club we want trophies - in the Europa League we have 25% chance of winning it and in the Premier League we have 0% chance of winning it. We're going to go for it.”

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