Manchester United need a response against Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League this week and in Anthony Martial they have a player hungry to prove his worth in the top club competition.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cited the 'fine margins' of football as explanation for his side's defeat to Arsenal at the weekend as a penalty from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang secured the three points for Mikel Arteta's side.
It was the final domestic match United endured without the suspended Martial as the French forward watched on from home after his reckless red card against Tottenham prior to the previous international break.
In the five games since there has been a clear chasm between the quality of United's performances. Much has been written about the contrast between European and domestic form, but perhaps it is also worth classifying those games as matches with Martial and ones without.
The two games which the 24-year-old played in saw United produce their two best performances of the calendar year, with Martial a crucial cog in the set-up under Solskjaer even when he isn't finding the back of the net.
Hopes were high for the France international following his best-ever scoring campaign last season but while his goal output might have dropped dramatically he still remains a huge part of the first-team squad.
United were blunt in attack against both Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League and there is fair argument to suggest the results might have been more positive had they had Martial to prey upon those fine margins which Solskjaer alludes to so often.
Even if he had not found the back of the net in either of those games his selection would have provided balance to an attack which looks so much weaker without him in it. The signing of Edinson Cavani and loan of Odion Ighalo were engineered to ease the strain on United's current forward line, but all it has done is emphasise the gulf of quality between the starters and the subs.
The main issue to solve is that Martial is a confidence player. Solskjaer's approach to man-management worked wonders as United defied the odds to stage a tremendous domestic comeback last season, but when the pressure is on they still fail to deliver what is expected of them. With confidence low going into a crucial week of the campaign the focus will again be on Martial to prove his worth as the main attacking threat in this team.
It was a meeting with Martin Skrtel which announced his arrival as a United player five years ago and against the same opponent he can prove just how far he has come on Wednesday night.
United's attacking threat hasn't been the same since Martial has been missing and in two games this week he can prove why the drop-off in form wasn't merely a coincidence with him out of the team.
