Monday 24 August 2020 09:47, UK
Anthony Martial says there is no rivalry between himself and fellow Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and insists the duo's "great connection" can be a major positive for the club going forward.
Martial ended the 2019/20 season as the club's top scorer with 23 goals - one more than England forward Rashford - as two United players scored more than 20 goals in the same campaign for the first time since 2010/11.
Asked whether there is a rivalry between himself and Rashford, Martial told Inside United magazine: "Not especially. We just try to help each other out.
"With Marcus, I think that we've been playing together for five seasons now and so, yes, we have that good understanding. It's a real positive for us that we have this great connection.
"For example, there are some games where maybe a shot is on and then I decide to wait and see, and I give him the ball because I want him to score. And he does the same thing for me, so you see, we're not just focused on scoring all the time.
"We're always going to do everything we can for the team to win which means that, if he is better placed than me or I'm in a better position than him, we'll always give each other the ball in order to score.
"There is healthy competition, but the biggest thing is the positive rapport that we have with one another."
The duo's goals helped propel United to a third-placed Premier League finish and secured Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side a return to the Champions League next season.
Expectations for the new domestic campaign, which begins on September 12, have only been heightened by the emergence of a third goal-scoring option in teenage sensation Mason Greenwood.
The 18-year-old scored 17 goals - including 10 in the Premier League - as he formed a potent - and youthful - front-line alongside Martial, 24, and Rashford, 22.
"The thing that strikes me about Mason is how effective and clinical he is," Martial said. "I get the feeling that whenever he shoots on goal, he scores!
"It's up to us to keep training hard and working to perfect how that trio works together. We must not forget either that there are other players (in the squad) who are pushing really hard to get a game. So, as I say, we need to keep going and have to perform well in order to be able to play and win our games."
