Manchester United

Jose Mourinho: 'Anthony Martial needs time to adapt to me'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 25 November 2016

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says that Anthony Martial needs more time to adapt his game from Louis van Gaal's style of play last season.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has said that Anthony Martial needs more time to adapt to his style of football.

Martial was left out of the United squad for their Europa League clash with Feyenoord on Thursday, and the Red Devils cruised to a 4-0 win in his absence, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan being handed a rare start.

Mourinho talked up the level of competition in the squad for the wingers and also suggested that Martial is more suited to the playing style used by Louis van Gaal last season.

"First of all, the teams are very different. The way the team played last season - and I'm not saying better or worse, just different - was probably more adapted to Anthony," he told reporters.

"Probably he was feeling more comfortable playing that way, at that intensity, at that rhythm of the ball possession and ball circulation. So probably he needs also some time. But in our squad, for these positions, we have Mkhitaryan, [Jesse] Lingard, [Memphis] Depay, [Juan] Mata, [Marcus] Rashford, Martial. These are probably the positions where we have more options.

"And, you have one opportunity, you have two, you have three - if you don't bite then somebody comes and takes the meat."

Martial has made just five Premier League starts for United so far this season.