Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has revealed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer set him the target of proving he deserves to wear the No.9 shirt each and every time he steps onto the pitch.
The Frenchman took the famous shirt upon making a big-money switch from Monaco back in 2015, but it was taken from him by Jose Mourinho following the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The 24-year-old - who regained his former shirt last summer - is enjoying his finest campaign for United, scoring 21 goals and assisting eight in 41 games in all competitions, including a sensational effort against Southampton last time out.
United's attacking trio of Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood has received an abundance of praise of late, with Gary Neville insisting they are closing the gap to Liverpool's prolific front three.
Martial will look to continue his fine form as United face a crucial trip to Crystal Palace on Thursday, and it's clear to see just where he's getting his motivation from.
"He [Solskjaer] sent me a message," Martial told Canal Plus. "He said 'do you want to take your No9 shirt back?'
"I straight-up said yes! I said yes and he told me now 'it’s up to you to show me [that you deserve it] every time you’re on the pitch'."
Solskjaer has been delighted by Martial's performances this season, insisting the forward has improved both individually and as a team player.
"He’s definitely developing, improving and he’s enjoying his football," the United manager said earlier this week.
"He’s stepped it up this season, I feel, both as an individual and more so as a team player, and physically.
"I remember there were talks about our forwards last season being the least active and there were some stats flying around, but Anthony is now working really hard for the team and he is a quality, quality finisher."