According to the Daily Star, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has asked Ed Woodward to sell French forward Anthony Martial before the European window closes on August 31.

What's the story?

Mourinho and Martial have been at odds all summer after the 22-year-old's agent said in June that his client wanted to leave United following a disappointing season at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese manager then hit back by fining Martial £180,000 after he left the club's tour of the United States to attend the birth of his second child, taking eight days off from pre-season training in the process.

Martial made just 18 Premier League starts for United last season and appeared a further 12 times off the bench, scoring nine goals and providing five assists in those appearances. His lack of game time could well have been the reason he missed out on France's World Cup winning side for this summer's tournament in Russia.

Good news for Rashford

If the Red Devils were to sanction the sale of Martial, although it would be a shock to see them lose an extremely talented youngster, it could be the perfect news for one of their homegrown talents.

Martial's departure would surely see Marcus Rashford given more game time, either out on the wing or as sole back up to Romelu Lukaku upfront.

The 20-year-old is valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt and is clearly a huge talent. He made a huge 52 appearances in all competitions last season, but exactly half of these were from the bench and he will hope to make more starts to further enhance his reputation. Most United fans are probably keen for the club to keep Martial but selling him on would no doubt be beneficial for Rashford.

[ad_pod ]