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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Marcus Banks

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals how Manchester United have helped Anthony Martial adapt to no.9 role

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed the club's forwards have been doing extra finishing training as they enter a crucial part of the season.

The Reds kept the pressure on Chelsea in the race to finish in the Premier League top four with a comfortable victory over Sheffield United last week and face Norwich away from home tonight looking to book their place in the semi-final of the FA Cup.

Anthony Martial became the first United player since Robin van Persie in 2013 to score a league hat-trick for the Reds with a trio of strikes against the Blades, taking his tally for the season to 19 in all competitions. Marcus Rashford (19) and Mason Greenwood (12) are also enjoying excellent seasons.

The United boss backed Martial to reach 20 goals for the season back in February and revealed coaches are working with the Frenchman to help him improve as the central forward.

Solskjaer said that he chips in with advice from his playing days every so often to help his forwards in certain situations.

"I think we all have been working on patterns of play, positions of the strikers," he told MUTV when asked about working with Martial as the central forward.

"Of course, I chip in once in a while with what I have done in those little situations. So we do.

"After training's finished we do some extra finishing, and I think all of them have been focused on it.

"You've got to have that hunger to score a goal; it has to mean a lot for you to score a goal.

"I played with some of the most greedy strikers, and sometimes you have to be greedy as a striker!"

Solskjaer praised the efforts of his forward trio and set a challenge for the rest of the side ahead of the game against the Canaries.

United have scored just six league goals from set-pieces this season, six less than Manchester City and Liverpool, and Solskjaer feels his side should be finding the back of the net more from dead ball situations given the height in the team.

He added: "I think it's important that you know that goals are going to come from different positions.

"We've also got midfielders who can score goals. I'd like to score a few more on set plays with the size in that team.

"But I've been delighted with Marcus and Anthony and Mason and all the others coming in.

"The centre-forward position which I used to play, it's so important for them to get the confidence goals give you. I think all of them have done really well this season."

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