Martial Should Follow Mkhitaryan’s Example, Says Mourinho

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes Anthony Martial should follow Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s example to achieve success.

Last season, Martial made an instant impact in the Premier League, and was arguably the best player for Manchester United. The Frenchman enjoyed a sensational first season under Louis van Gaal, netting 17 goals in 49 games.

But under Jose Mourinho, he has failed to replicate the same form. After a disappointing Euro 2016, he has struggled to impress the new manager at Old Trafford. From 17 appearances this season, he has scored just 4 goals.

Mourinho believes that Martial needs more time to adapt to the new way of playing. He also heaped praises on Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who initially struggled like Martial, but is now back to his best.

“Mkhitaryan was completely open and completely understood the difference between me and others coaches he has had. The difference between the demands of the Premier League and the Ukrainian league or even the Bundesliga, a completely different philosophy of play,” Mourinho told SFR Sport.

“He worked a lot without playing, but he worked a lot to try and reach the level. By surprise, he played a couple of matches when nobody was expecting, and he was named man of the match.

“He was phenomenal and people realised that the time we spent outside was a good time for him to improve him as a player.”

Jose then added: “I think Anthony is very very young, people forget, and last season Manchester United played completely differently to how we do today.

“He was basically playing up front, the team had lots of passive ball possession, just waiting to put it into space for Anthony to go and score a goal. This season is more difficult, he needs a little bit of time to improve.”

 

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