Jose challenges front three to start finding back of net
JOSE Mourinho has challenged Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard to contribute more goals after the trio’s encouraging performances in the midweek draw with Arsenal.
The Reds boss recalled the rested Martial and Lingard for Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba and the duo scored either side of half-time to earn United a 2-2 draw.
Martial is United’s top scorer this season with eight goals and has tallied seven in his last seven Premier League starts, while Lingard netted his first club goal since May on Wednesday night.
Rashford has struck just twice this term and is without a goal at Old Trafford since May but last week earned praise from Mourinho following his influential performance at Southampton.
“We need to score more goals,” Mourinho said.
“I think one thing is dynamics and happiness, routines adapted to the qualities of the players, but in the end what is the most important thing is the ball in the net, and goals, points and victories, that’s a good thing. And that’s a thing that I praise and something that the team needs and one of the reasons why in the last match we pressed high until we had legs for that, because people not playing football say they collapse in the last 15 and 20 minutes.
“But one of the reasons the team was up and pressing was the characteristics and desire of the attacking players. They work very hard but it’s not about work. It’s about natural qualities.”