Anthony Martial says his rich vein of goalscoring form is due to him getting regular starts

Anthony Martial claims getting regular starts in the Manchester United line-up helped him improve tactically and defensively.

The 22-year-old was reportedly on the way out this summer, after having been handed a fine by manager Jose Mourinho for leaving the training camp for the birth of his second child.

However, the France international enjoyed a rich vein of goalscoring form during the start to the season, firing in seven goals across all competitions that won him the club's Player of the Month award for October and made him their seasonal top scorer.

Martial was handed his ninth straight start in all competitions on Tuesday night as United edged out Young Boys 1-0 in the Champions League, and the forward said he feels like regular starts were the reason behind his run of good form.

"The key to it is playing games," he said. "For me, when you play in a game, that's when you get back your enjoyment and you start to pick up your form once again.

The forward has had a rocky relationship with manager Jose Mourinho but now the manager wants Martial to extend his stay

"If you don't feature regularly and you only take part in training sessions, you might still be in decent form, but it's not the same as when you are playing in matches.

"I hope that I can continue to put together a good run of games and perform well in them."

United want Martial to commit to a new long-term deal, with his current terms expiring next summer and an extension option only available for a further year until 2020.

Mourinho said earlier this month that he is "now much closer to being a top player", and Martial says that is due to his improved movement off the ball.

0:33 Martial now looks confident in his own ability every time he steps foot on the pitch, ex-United striker Andy Cole told Sky Sports News earlier this month Martial now looks confident in his own ability every time he steps foot on the pitch, ex-United striker Andy Cole told Sky Sports News earlier this month

"I think that [my improvement] is more on a tactical level. I try and take up good positions, so I can best help out my team," Martial said.

"I have been trying to work harder defensively too and to really try and help out the side when we aren't in possession of the ball.

"We work a lot on tactics and I try and do my best. I listen carefully to the advice of all the coaching staff we have here and I find that this helps me a lot."

Manchester United head to Southampton on Saturday before welcoming Arsenal in midweek in the Premier League.