Top 5 Premier League debuts – No place for Anthony Martial
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Manchester United new boy Anthony Martial went some way to silencing his doubters at the weekend, scoring the winner for the Red Devils against Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Ahead of the match the teenager had been written off by some pundits and certain sectors of the media.
Not only did the £36m 19-year-old complete a mazy run past the Reds’ defence and place a perfect finish beyond Simon Mingolet to secure all three points, the youngster put in a sublime all-round performance to show the United faithful that he feels no pressure despite his hefty price tag.
The team at Squawka Football summed up his performance best, showing it was about more than just the goal.
Anthony Martial’s game by numbers: 100% take-ons 86% pass accuracy 1 shot 1 goal Stunning debut. pic.twitter.com/TjQWgOSWX6
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 12, 2015
However, while the teenager showed he is not going to let the pressure of his price tag weigh him down on the pitch, his United start isn’t quite good enough to make the Ladbrokes News top five.
Jurgen Klinsmann – Tottenham – August 1994
The German arrived from Monaco with a reputation as a both a prolific scorer and a diver. He lived up to hype on both counts on his Spurs debut against Sheffield Wednesday, setting up two and scoring the final goal in a 4-3 winner before sarcastically diving in his celebration to instantly cement his status as a cult hero for the Lilywhites.
Fabrizio Ravanelli – Middlesbrough – August 1996
Middlesbrough couldn’t quite believe their luck in signing recently crowned Serie A winner and 17-goal Juventus striker Ravanelli but the Boro fans were truly in dreamland after the Italian’s first game.
Stig Inge Bjornebye, John Barnes and Robbie Fowler gave a travelling Liverpool side the lead on three separate occasions at the Riverside but each time Ravanelli put the Smoggies on level terms, with a debut hat-trick earning a famous draw.
Paulo Wanchope – Derby County – April 1997
He may have failed to live up to his famous start but Wanchope remains a Rams legend after his stunning 60-yard run through the United side, which culminated in a fantastic goal, helped County record a famous 3-2 win at Old Trafford.
Sergio Aguero – Manchester City – August 2011
While a goal from Aguero rarely raises an eyebrow, thanks to the Argentine’s prolific strike rate, he had a fairly large price tag to justify when arriving from Atletico Madrid for £38m.
Any fears that the South American would struggle to adjust were instantly dispelled, however, with a second half cameo from out of this world.
Replacing Nigel de Jong on the hour mark Kun took just nine minutes to open his City account and scored another in the 90th minute winner to round out a 4-0 win over Swansea.
Pedro – Chelsea – August 2015
It may seem odd to send any praise in the direction of Stamford Bridge at present – with Chelsea languishing in 17th place with just four points after five games, but the Blues’ new arrival certainly started with a bang.
A goal within 20 minutes, an assist before the half-time break and a man of the match trophy for his mantelpiece showed Manchester United what they could have won as Chelsea picked up their first win of the season against West Brom.
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