Manchester United 2-1 Sampdoria: 5 talking points

#3 Martial coming into his own

The French forward assisted Juan Mata for United’s second and final goal of the night

The “Special One” rang a plethora of changes following the restart, essentially emptying his bench to give the substitutes a decent run-out and while the introduction of Martial should cool talk of a move away from the Theatre of Dreams, Mou's post-match comments should prove that he really wants Martial on board.

Mou commented: "Lukaku, Martial, Rashford – they are all different players and we need everybody" in Dublin and it wasn't surprising he did so, considering one of the standout impact subs on the night was Martial who produced some great football on the left wing against a tiring Sampdoria back-line.

Producing two very good crosses in the second half that deserved more enthusiastic responses from the frontline, the French forward also assisted Juan Mata for United’s second and final goal of the night.

Dazzling with some fine dribbling on the left flank, the 21-year-old kept his wits about him late in the game to squeeze the ball into the path of Mata who coolly passed into the back of the net to send the United fans into a frenzy.

Martial has blown hot and cold ever since coming into the United squad, but against Sampdoria, he proved that he can become the long lost left winger the fans have been crying out for, for so long.