Jose Mourinho reveals why Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial rarely start together

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has revealed Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are rarely picked together in the starting 11 because they are too similar.

The pair were both named in the starting line-up on Saturday (18 November), as the 20-time champions of England thrashed Newcastle United 4-1 at Old Trafford, but that was only the 12th time the duo have been on the pitch at the same time in their careers.

Mourinho deployed Rashford and Martial alongside Romelu Lukaku and the move paid off handsomely, as Martial scored the equaliser, while Rashford set up Paul Pogba's goal and Lukaku clinched victory with the fourth, his first in the Premier League since 30 September.

From the beginning of the season, United fans have hoped to see Rashford and Martial playing either side of Lukaku, but Mourinho deployed both of them slightly to the left of the Belgian on Saturday, with Juan Mata shifted to the right.

"They both like to play in the same position and that is difficult," Mourinho was quoted as saying by the Independent.

"They both prefer to play on the left than the right, both playing with another striker through the middle, we lose a point of contact with the midfield that we are used to, with the player playing behind the striker.

"But we found then a certain balance and when they start finding, sometimes both, one opening the left and one on the mid-left between the striker and the left winger, it was the moment where we start creating more."

Following a difficult opening spell, during which Newcastle took the lead courtesy of Dwight Gayle's goal, United soon found their rhythm going forward and played with the kind of abandon and verve that had deserted their football over the last six weeks.

Mourinho praised his two young forwards for adding attacking impetus but, at the same time, warned he might struggle to play the pair at the same time against bigger teams.

"To be honest Newcastle was probably the team, not in the second-half, but in the first-half which come here and we felt a bit of instability in our defensive areas, and that was clearly not because of the defensive players but because of our balance," the United boss explained.

"So to play them [Martial and Rashford] together gives us things but also takes some things from us."