Juan Mata has lavished praise on Manchester United teammate Anthony Martial after the Frenchman impressed during Saturday's 2-0 victory over Watford in the Premier League.

Martial's long-term future at Old Trafford has been called into question in recent weeks after struggling to make his mark under head coach Jose Mourinho this season.

The 21-year-old was recalled to the starting XI against Watford, however, and responded with one goal and one assist as Man United stretched their unbeaten run in the league to 16 matches.

Mata, who grabbed the other goal against Watford, has branded Martial "a great player" and "a great friend", and backed the former AS Monaco youngster to hit the goal trail in the coming weeks.

"I was very happy for him," Mata told MUTV. "There were some difficult weeks for him, but he has been training good. He's a great friend, he's a great player and he can give us a lot of things and now he's with confidence, he's a terrific player."

Man United are still sixth in the Premier League table, but they are now just two points behind second-placed Tottenham Hotspur.