Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has stated that he will have to be patient with Anthony Martial following the striker's dip in form.

The 20-year-old scored four goals in his first four games in all competitions after making his £36m move to Old Trafford from AS Monaco, but he has failed to find the net since October.

Van Gaal is confident that the France international will soon find his goalscoring touch again.

"I think he is very talented. But we have to say, also, that he is just 20 years old and we have to give him time," Van Gaal told Reuters.

"That's always difficult when you are playing for a team like Manchester United because the expectations are very high. But I'm ­convinced he should continue [in the team] and he will score at the right moment again. You cannot ­expect that a 20-year-old, in his first year in the Premier League, scores every week.

"I didn't expect that when he came. He was exceeding expectations at the start of his career at Man United and I know that. I have to explain that. He doesn't need that pressure to score in every match."

United take on Wolfsburg in their final Champions League group match this evening.