Ole Gunnar Solskjaer feels Anthony Martial's slow start can be solely attributed to a lack of a pre-season, but feels the Man Utd striker is edging towards his top level again.
Martial has scored just twice in eight appearances for his club so far this season, while also drawing a blank in seven caps for France.
More concerning for United has been Martial's performances on the field, which have been a shadow of the form he was producing at the back end of last season.
A petulant red card against Tottenham also severely hampered his team on their way to a 6-1 defeat, and landed him a three-match ban.
But Solskjaer has backed his No9 to rediscover his scoring boots now he is finally getting up to speed.
"Anthony did well last season and took big strides in becoming a striker we know he can be," Solskjaer said.
"Like a lot of the players, he’s not had a pre-season as usual and he’s working towards his peak form.
"He missed a few games through suspension so he lost a bit of football too.
"Hopefully he will continue working hard to get to his best again."
Both of Martial's goals this season came in successive Champions League matches against RB Leipzig and Istanbul Basaksehir respectively.
The Turkish club head to Old Trafford on Tuesday for the reverse Group H fixture, having earned a shock win over United earlier this month.
And Solskjaer feels it is only a matter of time before Martial is firing on all cylinders again.
Who will win between Man Utd and Istanbul Basaksehir? Have your say below.
"He made strides last season. I think he will take even bigger strides and develop more," the United boss added.
"He scored a lot of goals last season, a big return. There are demands in any position, so we want Anthony to kick on.
"For me it is about getting the chances, he has always been good at finishing. Maybe the keepers have made some good saves against him but it’ll change for him soon."
