It has been a tough season for Anthony Martial at Manchester United.

The Frenchman finished last term as the club's top scorer with 20 goals in all competitions and was expected to kick on to even greater heights under Jose Mourinho.

However, it hasn't worked out quite that way and Martial has often struggled to adjust to the new regime at Old Trafford.

Mourinho has specifically called out Martial on numerous occasions over the course of the campaign, demanding the necessity to improve if he wanted to stay in the team.

Too many times, the winger would be too ineffectual on proceedings and as a result, would be dropped for the following game.

Despite showing glimpses of his former self during a few appearances over Christmas, it was obvious Martial had lost some confidence in his own ability.

Nevertheless, he was given another opportunity to impress last weekend against Watford and in the long run, it may actually prove to be a pivotal moment in his Man United career.

The 21-year-old was the star of the show as his cross found Juan Mata for the game's opening goal before he added a second with a composed finish to seal the victory.

But those two incidents only really tell half the story.

As you can see in the video of his highlights against Watford below, his intent on the ball has completely changed.

Now, when he has possession on the left flank his first thought is always the same: drive forwards, particularly early on in matches.

Watford's right-back on the day Craig Cathcart was never given a moment's peace.

By driving at Cathcart in the opening exchanges, the former Man United youngster became too concerned about Martial's pace and then dropped off at every opportunity.

This gave the French international even more time on the ball to pick his pass.

There's no doubt, he is most dangerous when he cuts in on his right foot (as shown by the run at 0:50) but whenever he isolated Cathcart 1v1, you'd back Martial to have beaten him on either side.

Yes, his final ball is still far from perfect, however, the cross for Mata could not have been weighted any better.

The ex-Monaco ace has been trialled as a centre-forward on occasion but for now, he is still far more influential on the wing.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic revealed he has held various conversations with Martial about his game this season and the Swede's influence could be crucial going forwards.

Mourinho has already shown with Henrikh Mkhitaryan the benefits of not selecting a player out of form for a few weeks.

Martial looks like he could well be the second Man United star to go through a tricky patch and come out the other side a much better player - a worrying thought for the Red Devils' top four rivals.