Jose Mourinho has lost patience with £36million Manchester United flop Anthony Martial and will hand left-wing slot to England 19-year-old Marcus Rashford
French forward was world's most expensive teenager when he joined in 2015 for a fee that could have risen to £50million
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JOSE MOURINHO has lost patience with Anthony Martial — after the star failed to react positively to showdown talks.
Manchester United boss Mourinho had a meeting with the French forward, 21, in a bid to get his form back on track.
But Mourinho feels let down by Martial’s response — and has left him on the bench for the last two league games.
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Martial’s future is now in serious doubt after repeated warnings that he must make the wide left role his own.
England star Marcus Rashford, 19, now looks like getting a run in the problem position.
Ahead of Saturday’s game against Watford at Old Trafford, Mourinho said: “He said something the other day that made me really happy.
“He says he is learning so much in the technical meetings and training sessions so I think his future will be brilliant. His present is good and we need him.
“I’m always happy with Marcus Rashford’s contribution. He is one of those players that when he is on the pitch he tries, he always gives something.”
Mourinho believes that while Rashford’s form particularly in front of goal might have dipped after his incredible impact last season there is no reason to worry.
He said: “I know that last season under no pressure, in front of the goal, the goal was bigger.
“I know this season the expectations are higher, the pressure is higher and the goal is smaller.
“He is missing some chances he’s not scoring as many goals as he could because he gets lots of playing time on the pitch.
“But it is absolutely natural in the second year after a season of explosion, then the expectation and everything changes.
“He is not anymore the surprise kid, the player everyone respects that everyone knows and everyone knows the qualities.
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“It is normal he is in this period of transition where he is still a kid but not the new kid in town anymore.
“I think next season will be very, very good for Marcus because this season he is getting experience at this level of responsibility of being a professional player at a club like Manchester United.
“So I am really happy with Marcus that is why every match since the start of the season he is there, either on the bench or in the line-up coming on for the last 30, the last 20 or the last ten.”