Jose Mourinho Explains the Crucial Differences Between Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial

Jose Mourinho has opened up on the difficulties he finds in choosing between whether Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial should start for Manchester United going into each fixture.

Of all the problems for the Manchester United manager to have, this dilemma must surely rank up there with one the enigmatic coach would rather have, as he deliberates who should start between two top-quality players in his squad.

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While a pattern has been set for the duo so far this season with one playing for 70 minutes before being replaced by the other, the decision to remove either of them from the field is often met by some scepticism by fans of the Red Devils.

It was just such an occasion as United faced Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend, with Rashford being replaced by Martial in the latter stages of the second half.

And although the change was met with boos from some supporters, it was ultimately the change that won United the match as they ran out 1-0 winners over a swashbuckling Spurs, with Martial notching the winner on 81 minutes.

While Rashford being replaced by Martial (and vice-versa) is viewed as a like-for-like substitution, Mourinho has subverted this notion, explaining what differentiates the two players.

Speaking to the press following their victory over Spurs, Mourinho spoke about how the two players differ from one another, as reported by GiveMeSport, saying: 

"[He plays the] Same position as Marcus but more comfortable dropping in between the lines to have the ball and to try to drive the ball, not just to attack space.

"I was telling him to do that but at the same time to play from [Romelu] Lukaku against three very good central defenders, but three central defenders who had a hard match for 60, 70 minutes against Lukaku and Rashford.

"So he comes, okay, probably a lucky shot, but the movement is good, the desire is good, and the goal is the goal that give us two more points than the 0-0."

With Mourinho valuing Martial's ability to find space with the ball it makes sense as to why the Portuguese man tends to bring him on late into the match, with the opposition tiring and allowing the 21-year-old to exploit an increased amount of space.