Ex-Manchester United forward Dimitar Berbatov reveals the advice he gave Anthony Martial while at Monaco

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Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has revealed what advice he told a young Anthony Martial while they were together at Monaco.

The pair spent two seasons together in Fontvieille when the young Frenchman was first breaking his way into the first team.

And it appears a word in the ear from Berbatov might have given Martial the confidence to become one of the most sought-after youngsters in the world. 

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial was given advice from Dimitar Berbatov

Berbatov, who was never blessed with speed, could see the damaging potential of Martial's pace in his very first training session with the club. 

Speaking to ESPN, he said: 'I went into the first training session [with Monaco] and saw Anthony Martial, James Rodriguez, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Yannick Carrasco, Bernardo Silva.

'These young players were flying around me and I was thinking: 'What the f***? I am too old or are these guys too good.

'Martial had something special and he's developed. He'll develop even more.

'You could see how fast and strong he was. The only thing lacking was to be more confident.'

Berbatov (right) told Martial (left) to use his pace to beat players and to not be hesitant 

Martial became the most expensive teenager in history after completing his move to Manchester United for an initial £36million, and a lack of confidence has never seemed a problem since the switch to Old Trafford.

Berbatov continued: 'Martial would come towards with me the ball. Sometimes he hesitated.

'He didn't want to take me on because he thought I was going to take his ball. The self-belief was not there. 

'I would say: "Anto, you are so quick, you can go past me. Don't be afraid to do that to every player because you are so quick." He's a top guy.'

Martial in action during Manchester United's 2-0 win against Swansea in the Carabao Cup

Martial has gone on to score 18 goals for United since his move in 2015 and his performances this season have attracted the attention of Barcelona, who seem interested in tempting the youngster away from Manchester.

The 21-year-old has struggled to nail down a starting place under Jose Mourinho and faces a constant battle with Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku in the forward line. 

Meanwhile Berbatov, who scored 48 times for United, is currently playing for Indian Super league side Kerala Blasters after a year without a club.