Manchester United's Anthony Martial sets up Olivier Giroud goal just FOUR minutes into full France debut

Martial was given the chance to impress on just his second international call-up and got off to the perfect start against Denmark

Anthony Martial's dream season has continued to get better after he impressed just minutes into his full France debut.

The £36million Manchester United man was handed his first start for the national team by boss Didier Deschamps in their friendly with Denmark on Sunday evening.

He immediately repaid his manager's faith in him by teeing up Olivier Giroud to put France ahead just four minutes into the match.

Since his move to United, Martial has bagged four goals and put in a host of impressive performances, despite being initially branded as a last-gasp deadline day panic buy.

He now stands a great chance of representing his country at the European Championships next summer, during their home finals.

Say cheese: Martial and the rest of the France team line-up before kick-off

Getting stuck in: Martial battles with Lars Jacobsen for the ball

France started their friendly clash like rapid-fire with Denmark, as Arsenal star Giroud doubled the scoring just two minutes after he netted his first.

Giroud recently admitted that he needed to toughen up and work his way back in the Gunners side, after he was dropped for Theo Walcott.

Back of the net: Giroud made an instant impact, taking advantage of Martial's assist.

High five: Giroud celebrates his second goal for France

Denmark's Erik Sviatchenko scored a late consolation for the hosts, but they lost the match 2-1.

Alongside Martial and Giroud, Morgan Schneiderlin, Moussa Sissoko and Eliaquim Mangala were the other Premier League stars to feature in the game.

Olivier Giroud says he needs ‘to harden mentally’ after losing Arsenal place

The Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud says it is a new experience for him to be the second choice behind Theo Walcott and believes his manager Arsène Wenger still has faith in his abilities after he scored both goals for France in their 2-1 win over Denmark on Sunday.

Things have changed drastically since last season at Arsenal when Wenger preferred Giroud in the centre as a target man and Walcott as a right-wing. Walcott has always insisted his best role is in the centre and his deployment there has worked so far this season.

The England international has already scored seven goals in 13 appearances for club and country this season, and has 12 goals in his last 14 Premier League starts. In contrast, Giroud has scored three goals in 11 appearances for Arsenal so far, drawing criticism for his inconsistency.

“At Arsenal, I am in competition with Theo for the striker position. But he is doing well at the moment, so there is no reason to change,” Giroud said.

“Whether it was at Tours, Montpellier or Arsenal, I have never experienced a situation like this, I have often played from the start. I need to take positives and to harden myself mentally. It is something new for me.

“I was in Walcott’s place in previous seasons at Arsenal. I imagine what he must have been thinking. But I feel that the coach believes in me,” the 29-year-old French forward added.

Giroud is not worried over his lack of playing time and is confident he will pounce on any opportunity to win back his place in the starting line-up. Arsenal, who are second in the league table after eight games, travel to face the promoted side Watford on Saturday.

“It has been for several matches now that I have played less, that is for sure, but I do not need to be worried. I need a bit more game time but also to believe more in my abilities,” Giroud added.

Arsenal star Olivier Giroud on David Beckham, Brad Pitt and teleporting!

Who would play you in a film about your life?

“An ’Ollywood actor? Ah, I don’t know... The one I like at the moment is Gerard Butler, or maybe Ryan Gosling.”

If you could be a professional in another sport, what would it be?

“Maybe ski? The giant slalom. I used to ski a lot because I was born in the mountains, in the Alps. I love it and I reached a great level. But I’m not allowed to do it now, so I really miss it. The last time I went skiing? About ten years ago. Too much time.”

Have you ever been starstruck?

“When I was about ten years old, I saw Zinedine Zidane and I was like [mouth agape]. He came to my home town, to a tournament that I was playing in to say hello. But there were too many people around for me to ask for a picture.”

What’s your favourite TV show?

  “It’s a French one, because I have French TV at home. But for English programmes it’s maybe The Voice. It’s entertaining – but no, I definitely can’t sing.”

Your favourite ever goal?

“My first goal in the World Cup, which was the header I scored against Switzerland in 2014. It means a lot to me.”

Who’s the most talented footballer you’ve ever played against?

“I’ve never played against Cristiano Ronaldo and I’ve never played against Lionel Messi. So maybe Franck Ribery for Bayern Munich, or Arjen Robben... or [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic.”

If you could watch only three sports for the rest of your life, what are they?

“Tennis, skiing and football. I used to play a lot of tennis when I was young. And I love to watch Roger Federer play – he has a fantastic technique.”

Who would you most like to go for a drink, or coffee with?

“My daughter is too young to drink, so I’ve got my wife, my mother... Someone famous? Ah okay, then David Beckham is a top man for me. I think he should be an example for the young players. He was a great footballer, but the man himself is very respectful and a top man. So, yeah, why not?”

If you could...

“Ah, wait. Meeting Beckham is not like a dream because I’ve already met him. So why not someone like Brad Pitt? I love his films and I think he’s a legend of the acting world. He’s also a dad to a lot of kids and I think he’s doing really well with everything, so why not try to learn something from him?”

Good question, Olivier. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

“Have you seen the film Jumper? Where you can teleport? I can speak with you now and maybe one second later be in Shanghai or LA. I would like that.”

How would you describe yourself in three words?

“Funny, generous and respectful.”

If you were stuck in a lift with a team-mate, who would be the best and who would be the worst?

“The best would be one of the French guys because I can speak French with him, even if my English is not so bad. But the worst one? That’s a tough question. Anyone who’s a joker.”

WHAT TO DO WITH OLIVIER?

Back with a bang? Can this Arsenal star maintain his form?

Overtaken by Theo Walcott, vilified by fans of both club and country and made into a punchline by a media who simply think he’s more of a pretty boy than a top class striker, life cannot be easy for Olivier Giroud.

The Frenchman’s a bit of a heartthrob, but that shouldn’t prevent him from being a top class striker. It may not be fair that he has the looks and the skill, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

The truth is that Giroud is a top class striker. He hasn’t got lightening pace or even brute strength, but, in a phrase made awkward by the gorgeousness of the man, he has a good body and knows what to do with it. Last season’s 17 goals in 25 appearances in a campaign that also included a broken leg shows that he really is a good player.

But the most important thing about Giroud is that he is a confidence player. It’s unsurprising that a man who spends just that much time on his hair would have a confidence issue, really. He seems to score frequently whenever he’s amongst the goals.

Most strikers are the same. They get a taste for blood when the ball hits the back of the net, and they can sniff it out after that. And this week against Denmark, Giroud started up front for France and within four minutes had found the net twice.

Not bad for a man who was booed off the pitch by his fellow countrymen after a poor performance in September’s international break.

But these two goals were gifts given to him by Leicester City stopper Kasper Schmeichel, who was in goal for Denmark that night. He inexplicably let Giroud’s first shot past him and it dribbled into the goal. Then he flapped at another shot and pushed it right into the path of the Arsenal striker to give him his second of the game.

France, since they are the hosts of Euro 2016, can only play friendlies until the summer, but were placed into a group so that they’d play in friendlies with the other teams in that group who were, in all the other games, playing for points. So it might not be the greatest of feats, scoring two goals that should never have been scored in a friendly against Denmark. But nevertheless he scored them.

The goals aren’t what should matter to Arsenal fans, though. It’s the confidence. What Wenger should be looking for from Giroud is a man whose knack for scoring goals takes him to all the right positions in the box, just as he did at the weekend for France.

Theo Walcott is not a natural finisher, but he has pace and a dribbling ability that Giroud could only dream of. What Giroud has, by contrast, is a finishing ability and a classy way of getting amongst the goals. These two things taken together are heaven sent for the Gunners because it means that they can make changes up front based on the game. Most teams don’t have that combination of qualities up front, but Arsene Wenger is able to completely change the way his team plays by making one sub up front. In other words he has the ability to turn the game on its head in one swoop.

But none of that is possible without confidence. When you have two strikers like that who can get amongst the goals, it’s hard to keep confidence high in both, certainly if you’re only playing with one striker. Egos are bruised by being placed on the bench.

But the confidence should be high in both Giroud and Walcott after the international break, and Wenger will be tasked with keeping both men happy. If he can, Arsenal are sitting in a good position for a title challenge, and there will be goals in their team.

Can Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud Play in the Same Arsenal Team?

Although Olivier Giroud returned to goalscoring form with France during the international break, he may have to wait before being granted a place in the Arsenal XI.

At the moment, Theo Walcott is occupying the central striking berth that was once Giroud’s domain. It seems that Arsene Wengercurrently believes that he faces a straight choice between the twofrontmen.

However, must it necessarily be so? Both players have wildly different attributes, and both can pose a different kind of threat to the opposition. Arsenal fans may now be wondering if it’s possible forWenger to accommodate them both in the same team.

They used to play together quite effectively. When Giroud first arrived at Arsenal, Walcott was regularly deployed on the right flank, and the two struck up an impressive understanding.

Speaking to the People in November 2012 after scoring in the north London derby, Giroud admitted:

Looking at the goals from last weekend it was another cross from my favourite supplier Theo. The more we play together, the better it is – and Theo always seems able to find me.

I know in the past Arsenal fans have moaned about the lack of crosses but hopefully my heading ability and height can give other options to the team.

It’s a combination that made sense. Walcott brought speed and width,Giroud offered a powerful penalty box presence. They seemed to enjoy working in tandem, and the results were good. Later that season, the polarised pair scored five goals between them as Arsenal demolished Newcastle United by seven goals to three. 

However, things have changed since then. Wenger seemingly envisages Walcott as a lone striker now. Since a defensive lapse allowed Danny Rose to score Tottenham Hotspur’s winning goal back in the spring, Walcott has spent barely a minute on the wing.

There’s also the question of balance. When Walcott and Giroud played together, it was usually with Santi Cazorla on the opposite flank.

Wenger typically likes to field two "strikers" in his front three, with the third being an auxiliary midfield player. For example, back in 2012/13, he was notably reluctant to field Walcott, Giroud and Lukas Podolski in the same XI.

That continues to this day. Currently, Alexis Sanchez occupies the left flank. That means Wenger will typically opt for a more conventional midfield player on the opposite side—Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has filled that role, but it more often goes to Aaron Ramsey.

The Gunners boss is likely to be reticent to include Alexis, Giroud and Walcott in the same team—especially when he already has concerns about the Englishman’s capacity to carry out his defensive responsibilities.

With Mesut Ozil in behind, that would effectively make for a front four. That’s too cavalier, even for a coach with Wenger’s attacking instincts.

Giroud and Walcott would make for an ideal partnership in a traditional 4-4-2, but Arsenal don’t currently have the central midfield required to support that system.

Although Giroud and Walcott make for an interesting combination, it’s difficult to see Wenger finding a way to squeeze them into the same XI.

An injury to Alexis might enable Walcott to take up his space on the wing, but for the time being it seems Arsenal’s two strikers are locked in competition for just one starting spot.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.