Jose Mourinho fires warning to underperforming Manchester United star

Jose Mourinho has warned Anthony Martial he needs to work harder in order to salvage a career at Manchester United.

Martial has endured a difficult first season under Mourinho and has spent most of the season battling to prove his worth to the United manager.

The France international, who was a revelation for United last season, looked to have turned a corner in January but has fallen back out of favour in recent weeks and Mourinho has reminded Martial what is required of the forward.

“I know we are together for almost 10 months,” ESPN quote Mourinho as saying in his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday’s home match with Anderlecht in the Europa League. “The same way I know the players much better now and the players should know me also much better now.

“The same way I know what the players like, I think they also know what I like. The same way I have to go in the direction of the players, the players they have to also come in my direction.

“That’s why Marcus Rashford, even without scoring goals, even without scoring in the league since September, even without that, he was always a player that I trust, always a player that I play, always a player that I support. Because he was always coming in my direction, in the direction I want from a player, what I want as a Manchester United manager.

“He is about that. It’s about getting to know each other better and better and better and going in the direction of things we like.

“Do I think Anthony is a player of great potential? Yes I think. Do I think he can be successful for me? Yes I think. But he needs to give me things I like very much.”

Martial was a shock £36m signing from Monaco in 2015 but was arguably United’s best player during Louis van Gaal’s final season at the club. However, it has been far from easy this time around where he has only started 12 Premier League games and scored three goals.

The fact that he is still United’s second top goalscorer in the Premier League since the start of last season (14) just highlights how important he was last season and what he can produce if he works as hard as Mourinho wants him to."

For more stats on Anthony Martial, click here to visit his WhoScored player page