Mou expects Man Utd's Martial to improve

Published on: 18 August 2017

MANCHESTER -- Jose Mourinho has backed Anthony Martial to have a big impact at Manchester United this season.

The Frenchman endured a frustrating time last season and started fewer than half the games in the Premier League. He was left on the bench for the opening game of the new campaign against West Ham before coming on to net the third in a 4-0 win at Old Trafford.

Martial has been linked with a move away, in particular to Inter Milan as a makeweight for Ivan Perisic. Mourinho, though, insists he is expecting big things from the 21-year-old. He also hinted his ideal fourth summer signing -- which he has conceded may not happen -- would be a wing-back rather than a winger to compete with the former Monaco man.

Mourinho told a news conference on Friday: "I have faith in him. Probably the player I was looking for wasn't a pure winger because I have pure wingers.

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"Probably the player I was looking for was a player that allows me to play with three at the back and have a wing-back.

"As a pure attacking player, Anthony is a good player. I believe he's one of the players who is going to have a better season this season than the previous season.

"I look at some of my players and I'm sure that some of them will be better this season than they were last season, and Anthony is that for sure."

Martial is one of a core of young attackers at United which also includes Romelu Lukaku, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford and Mourinho has backed his young guns to get even better this season.

He added: "They are all young. Romelu is 24. Anthony, Lingard, Rashford, they are at a good age and all playing.

"Probably they are also national team players with the opportunity to play international football with their national teams.

"We are in the Champions League so first time for Rashford to play Champions League.

"Anthony had a bit with Monaco and with us, I think. Lingard a few matches but not much more than that. Romelu is a first time. I don't think he played Champions League with Chelsea and if it was it was a couple of matches.

"So I think for them the Champions League can also be a great experience."

Source: espn.co.uk

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