Manchester United: Paul Scholes urges Mourinho to play Sanchez on the left despite competition

Paul Scholes has warned Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho that he faces a real problem with his forward players as they all want to play on the left side of attack. The Red Devils have Romelu Lukaku through the middle but are facing a major issue with positioning Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard.

The addition od Sanchez this January has led to further speculation about United's front line, with the Chilean having already established himself as an integral part of the line-up. There is much speculation about the future of Rashford, who last started in the FA Cup win over Yeovil Town on the night Sanchez made his United debut but has failed to make the starting line-up ever since.

Rashford has not been named in a top flight starting XI since the Boxing Day draw with Burnley last December, leading to question marks over his future at the club. There is also speculation over Martial, who was shifted to the right against Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle to accommodate the Chilean – two games United lost.

Sanchez again started in United's 2-0 win over Huddersfield in the FA Cup while the others were left out, with Scholes stating that Mourinho needs to sort out the positional issues to get the best out of his team. Sanchez is most effective on the left but that means the manager has to accommodate the others somewhere else, where they are not most comfortable.

"I think he plays at his best on the left-hand side," Scholes said of Sanchez on BT Sport as quoted by the Express. "I think that's where he's played his best football throughout his career, whether it be at Barca or whether it be at Arsenal.

"I think the problem the manager has at the minute is I think four of his forward players want to play on the left-hand side. I think Lingard would like to play there, I think Martial would like to play there and I think Rashford would like to play there. But I think he does all his best work from there."