José Mourinho has an array of attacking talent at his disposal at the moment. Romelu Lukaku, Jesse Lingard, Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford & Anthony Martial all have to fight it out for a starting berth with both Martial and Rashford losing that battle at the moment.
While both have seen minutes off the bench, Anthony Martial is reportedly unhappy at the club with rumours that the 22-year-old may seek pastures new come the end of the season.
Jose Mourinho has been speaking on the players on the fringes of the squad, reasoning that it is simply a fact of football that they are not starting regularly:
It is just football, we cannot have just 11 players. It would be amazing economically for the football clubs to have only 11 and play with the same 11, no injuries, no suspension, no fatigue. It would be better for everyone to have only 11 but is impossible. At every club and every level, from the top of the world to the amateur football clubs, you need more than 11 players and only 11 can start. It is as simple as that, there's nothing I can do.
Only 11 can start so the same questions you are doing to me, you should do to every other manager because everyone has players in the same situation.
The United boss pointed to Lukaku and Nemanja Matic as examples of why other players are not getting starts, equating his point to a 'dry answer':
If I was you I would go ask why Lukaku plays every match, why Matic plays every match. You always go to that one. The answer is if you want what I call dry answers, I have dry answers. And a dry answer is only 11 can start the match and we are 22.
Mourinho was also asked if United would aim to sign another striker in the summer transfer window in order to give Lukaku a rest, but the Portugese said he believed he was already well equipped with the players at his disposal and joked that if anything he would have to lose players from his squad:
No, no. If I have more competitions for him I have more competition for the other ones you are saying are not happy because they are not playing. I probably have to reduce and have a squad of 12 or 13 players.
Mourinho's words will do nothing to quell the exit talk surrounding Martial & Rashford, though it is important to note that at 22 and 20 years of age respectively, the pair have youth on their side and perhaps their roles as supporting players is fitting for the time being.
