Explained: Mourinho Has One Problem With Rashford And Martial

Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are two of the most exciting young forwards in football at the moment. Blessed with equally blistering pace, a fancy set of tricks and flicks, and an eye for goal, many believed that these two would shape up the next generation of United, and work together in tandem to tear opposition defenses apart.

That, though, has been anything but the case since Jose Mourinho took over the reins at Old Trafford last year. The Portuguese has been anything but willing to give the fans what they want, and that is a start for both players. Martial down the left, Rashford down the right, and Romelu Lukaku in the middle, could it get more exciting than that?

However, that’s just not how Mourinho likes his team to play the game, and there is a key point about both the United starlets that is specifically holding the 54-year-old manager back from offering both of them a starting berth in the same team.

That key factor, according to a fan on twitter, is the fact that both stars are more suited to the no.9 role than out on the flanks. United’s boss is a man who thrives on defensive set-ups, but Martial and Rashford can often be seen avoiding tracking back and sitting in more advanced wide roles.

This is not something that Mourinho appreciates, and the fan, who goes by the username of reverse_ball, released a 13-tweet thread explaining his reasons as to why he believes the Old Trafford boss isn’t starting the duo together.

Here are the tweets in full:

Big problem with United under Mourinho is that their 2 fast wingers, Martial and Rashford, aren't the sorts to carry counter attacks from…

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

like a defensively organized 4-4-2 position as they found themselves in all game. They are wingers for an attacking manager.

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

Both are probably best as 9s so that deep wide position is a long way from their natural areas.

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

Robben and Duff were totally different in Mourinho's 1st Chelsea. They liked being near the halfway line and attacking from there.

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

Willian the same. Hazard can do it too but clearly lost interest after 2 seasons of it.

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

Hard to find modern wingers who play in that area of the pitch because they all grow up in front 3s now.

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

Ashley Young looked very comfortable compared to Martial / Rashford as he's used to playing in Ferguson's 4-4-2s in precisely that zone.

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

Can understand Mourinho wanting Perisic because he can do it too but he will find it hard to find his type of wingers in this era.

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

Simeone countered it by not really playing rea wingers but compensating with 2 strikers. Conte by playing a back 3.

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

Mourinho is pretty much the only defensive manager left who plays wingers raised in a new era but expects them to defend like 4-4-2 wingers

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

His great game in a big match at United was against Chelsea in a back 3 with 2 strikers. Needs to adapt like that.

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

Still some old fashioned wingers left like Bale, Perisic, Douglas Costa, Willian, Di Maria..but it's not easy to find players like that now

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

Wenger searching for his Vieira and Mourinho is searching for Robben-Duff. Both managers seem a dated these days.

— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 14, 2017

 

Keep up to date with the biggest transfer news from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and a lot more

 

 

---

---