Manchester United striker Anthony Martial compared with Cristiano Ronaldo by Real Madrid great Zinedine Zidane

Martial can silence doubters over his fee, just as Ronaldo and Buffon did

Anthony Martial (GETTY IMAGES)

France and Real Madrid great Zinedine Zidane has suggest Anthony Martial can emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and Gianluigi Buffon by silencing doubters over his huge transfer fee.

Manchester United paid £58.1 for the relatively unknown 19-year-old in a deal that shocked the world of football.

Yet in his short time at Old Trafford, which has included winning the Premier League player of the month award, the former Monaco player has signalled that Manchester United may have signed a player with the potential to become one of the best in the world.

Zidane has compared Martial's fee with those of Ronaldo and Buffon, which were respectively the most ever paid for a player at the time and still the most expensive ever goalkeeper.

"With transfer fees, what looks big now can look like nothing a few years down the line.

"People went crazy when Juventus paid all that money (£32.6m in 2001) for Gianluigi Buffon - how could a goalkeeper be worth that much? Who can now look and say Buffon was anything other than one of the best buys ever?

"It's the same with Ronaldo (£80m)- after all the goal, and all the trophies, who mentions the fee now?"

However, when it came to drawing comparisons with compatriot Thierry Henry, Zidane told Shortlist: "Come on, Thierry is one of the greats, it is not fair to put that pressure on the kid. It is obvious he is full of ability and confidence so it looks good for the future."