Jose Mourinho pleased with Manchester United's two-striker system heading into Tottenham clash
The United boss opted for a 3-5-2 formation in the Carabao Cup win over Swansea.
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has opened the door to the possibility of starting with two strikers in the Premier League after a successful experiment against Swansea City.
United cruised into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup after a 2-0 win at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday (24 October) where the manager switched from his usual 4-2-3-1 formation to play a 3-5-2 system.
With Romelu Lukaku handed a mid-week rest starting on the bench, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford formed a partnership in attack with Jesse Lingard providing support from a more central role, from where he scored twice in a man-of-the-match display.
In the opening three months of the 2017-18 season, Mourinho has opted for just one striker in Lukaku to lead his attack with Martial and Rashford sharing duties out on the left wing.
But after Tuesday's positive results, Mourinho has suggested he could stick with the formation that could see one of the young forwards join the Belgian up top, while also singling out Lingard for particular praise.
"Jesse played well and played with a lot of freedom," Mourinho told MUTV. "We tried to give him [Lingard] good protection behind with the experience of Ander Herrera and the strength of Scott McTominay.
"We played with two strikers with a lot of enthusiasm and it was a good dynamic. We are trying to defend our cup to the maximum, we can now go to the quarter-finals. That is it and we are happy."
Should Mourinho opt for the same formation for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, Rashford will be hoping to get the nod to join Lukaku in attack ahead of Martial after bright performances against Huddersfield and Swansea.
The England international was subbed off after 67 minutes on Tuesday night however with ESPN later reporting he had complained of a tight hamstring in the first-half. While the change was a precautionary measure, Rashford will be monitored by the club's medical staff at Carrington in the build-up to the weekend.
