It may have ultimately proved to be fleeting and flawed, although there was a time where it looked as if Manchester United were fashioning a new fearsome forward line under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
2019/20 – albeit while latterly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic – was a particularly fruitful campaign for the Norwegian’s bright young attack, with the 4-0 thrashing of Chelsea on the opening day setting the tone for what was to come.
Reinstated as the number nine once again, amid Romelu Lukaku’s swift exit, Anthony Martial was in fine fettle leading the line, having got off the mark himself after bundling home against the Blues.
In all, the mercurial Frenchman reached career-best figures of 17 Premier League goals, a tally matched by teammate Marcus Rashford for his own joint-best top-flight record.
While Rashford – who bagged a brace on the opening weekend – would be hampered by injury in the latter stages of the campaign, it is noteworthy that nine of Martial’s league goals came in February onwards.
Wonder what could have happened to help spark that scoring spree….
Bruno Fernandes' connection with Martial & Rashford
Ah yes, the 2020 January transfer window marked the arrival of a certain Bruno Fernandes, with the Portuguese playmaker instantly hitting the ground running with a Man of the Match display on debut against Wolves.
As Luke Shaw stated later that year, Fernandes struck up a particularly “flowing” partnership with Martial straight off the bat, with the pair memorably combining for that inventive Manchester derby free-kick in March.
“Obviously when I arrived I had many assists to Anthony Martial. My first half-season it was great with him,” Bruno recalled in 2023.
“We had a really good connection that we could find ourselves in positions and with the help that Marcus [added] when he came back from his injury [that] was also something really good.”
According to Transfermarkt, the pair enjoyed a joint goal participation of 14, with that the third highest of Fernandes’ career to date, behind ex-Sporting CP teammate Bas Dost (17), and the aforementioned Rashford (26).
To see the Englishman leading the way is perhaps no surprise, with his ability to run in behind and put a defence on the back foot, partnered with Fernandes’ creative brilliance, proving a simply deadly combination.
In 2020/21, for instance, five of Rashford’s goals were assisted by the one-time Udinese man, as per WhoScored. That figure rose to six in 2022/23, with only Erling Haaland and Manchester City’s chief provider, Kevin De Bruyne, enjoying a more fruitful marriage that season (8).
The way in which United’s two main men combined that season, in particular, was a joy to behold, with Fernandes speaking at the time about his ‘connection’ with the United academy graduate:
“I think we have a great connection and I know Marcus. I know which kind of movement he wants to do. Marcus knows where I can put the ball, where I want him to go when I have the ball in some places on the pitch.
“So we have that connection that we understand each other, even sometimes without looking at each other and just finding the spaces.”
While both Rashford – now out on loan at Barcelona – and Martial have since departed, the opportunity remains for the 31-year-old to strike up a new bond under Ruben Amorim’s watch.
Why Fernandes may have found his new Fernandes & Martial
As time goes on, hopefully marquee summer signing Benjamin Sesko will begin to catch fire in his new surroundings, with six games having now come and gone without a goal for the £74m Slovenian.
Still just 22, the ex-RB Leipzig man has largely been restricted to cameos thus far, with chances so far at a premium.
There was a neat one-two with Fernandes in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea, although the United skipper uncharacteristically overhit his return pass, forcing Sesko wider than he would have liked with the goal in sight.
That connection will need to be struck – as it seemingly wasn’t with Sesko’s predecessor, Rasmus Hojlund – if United are to have a fruitful season, albeit with the early signs at least promising regarding Bryan Mbeumo.
Off the mark already with goals against both Grimsby and Burnley, the £65m signing from Brentford has undoubtedly been the shining light of 2025/26 so far for Amorim and co, putting in his “best game yet” against the Blues, as per journalist Samuel Luckhurst.
21/22
35
4
22/23
38
9
23/24
25
9
24/25
38
20
25/26
5
1
Direct, dynamic and remarkably unfazed, the 26-year-old – described as an “output machine” by content creator Ronaldo Brown – appears to have the best of Martial and Rashford rolled into one, if the early evidence is anything to go by.
As his composed, calm finish against the Clarets indicated, Mbeumo is truly an elite finisher, having notably scored 20 league goals last term in west London. The manner in which he can almost stroke the ball home does evoke memories of Martial at his best, with it worth re-watching some of the Frenchman’s early days, in particular.
That unerring ability to almost caress the ball into the corner hasn’t been evident among many United forwards of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, yet Martial – when fit and firing – was a master. As Mbeumo’s strike against Grimsby showcased, he too possesses that silky quality in front of goal.
Like Rashford too, however, the pacy left footer has the speed and power to stretch a defence, having expertly latched onto Sesko’s flick on in the build-up to Robert Sanchez’s red card at the weekend.
The early connection with Fernandes also looks promising, with the playmaker notably picking out his new teammate with a delightful, searching pass in the early knockings of the Burnley win.
Mbeumo pulled away from his man in Rashford style to get on the end of that chance, before expertly killing the ball dead, a la Martial, to cut inside and test Martin Dubravka from range.
It is, of course, still early days, yet the Cameroon international looks set to be central to everything good about United, both this season and beyond.
Having briefly struck gold with both Rashford and Martial, Fernandes may well have found a new, exciting partner-in-crime to dovetail with at the Theatre of Dreams. He no longer has to do it all on his own.
