The huge story at the close of the transfer window was Manchester United’s swoop for Anthony Martial.

The 19-year-old was signed from Monaco in a huge deal before he had even won his first international cap.

Now, less than a month later, he has scored four Manchester United goals in as many appearances and the claims that he would be a waste of money have quietened.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s visit to Leicester City, Arsène Wenger has expressed surprise at the Frenchman’s first start but insists his quality was always obvious.

“It’s a surprise because sometimes it’s quite difficult at the start,” Wenger said on Friday. “To maintain that will be very difficult for him so he will have to have some understanding of that as well if he starts to score less.

“He has already set the expectation level very high. I’m not surprised that he’s done well because he’s a very talented player.”

The Arsenal manager was, obviously, asked why Arsenal didn’t make a move for the teenager.

For years Wenger scoured France for top young talents, but Martial was at big-spending Monaco. The manager says he always saw the player as more of a winger, before adding that Monaco seemed to be unwilling to sell.

“He was more of a winger in his [early] career. He played the final part of last season as a striker,” Wenger told the press.

“Monaco’s statement was always that two players, Martial and Layvin Kurzawa, would not move. I thought they would maintain that but in the end both of them moved.”

Left-back Kurzawa completed a move to Paris Saint Germain before Martial rocked up at Old Trafford.

The forward has had an incredible start to his career at Old Trafford, the best thing that can happen for Wenger now would be for Theo Walcott and Alexis Sánchez to start firing so questions about the failure to sign a top striker start to disappear.