2 players that should have left Manchester United in January

Anthony Martial

It’s clear from the opening 24 games of the Premier League season that Mourinho isn’t a huge fan of Anthony Martial, despite the Frenchman’s excellent debut campaign in English football last time out.

The 21-year-old scored 17 goals in 49 games for Louis van Gaal’s side last term, including 11 in the Premier League as United missed out on a top four finish, and indeed a place in this season’s Champions League.

However, Martial has started just nine of their 24 league games this season under Mourinho, as well as just two of their six Europa League group matches earlier in the campaign.

With a return of just three goals in those competitions, it’s not a huge surprise that he hasn’t had more playing time, yet it’s the lack of confidence Martial sometimes shows on the pitch, as well as some murmurings in the press, that may have tempted him to move away last month.

With Henrikh Mkhitaryan returning to the fold in recent months, as well as the emergence of youngsters Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard in the last year, it’s going to be increasingly difficult for Martial to play regularly at Old Trafford, so a move away last month may have been beneficial to the 21-year-old.