José Mourinho has hinted that United fans might finally see both Rashford and Martial starting together against Benfica on Tuesday.
In a press conference ahead of the match, Mourinho said this when asked about the pair both starting. “We played Marcus and Anthony together at Swansea one week ago so yes they can play together. That’s no problem. What we cannot do is play with 12 men, and we cannot play with everybody at the same time. But we did play them together, so we can repeat that against Benfica or we can repeat in any other match.”
This season, it has almost become tradition that one will be substituted for the other late in the second-half of a match. However, with both players taking full advantage of the minutes they’ve been given, that might no longer be an option.
Mourinho has started both of them together in the two Carabao Cup matches, with Martial on the left and Rashford as a striker, and those results have been promising. Both have grabbed an assist, with Rashford grabbing two goals and Martial scoring once.
Obviously, this would mean a someone else taking a seat on the bench. Mkhitaryan’s form has dropped off a bit since his hot start to the season, and a spell on the bench could rejuvenate the Armenian. Mourinho could still play all three attackers behind Lukaku, but that would mean that Matic and Herrera would have to stay back to solidify the midfield.
Manchester United face Benfica on Tuesday at Old Trafford, and a win would all but guarantee United a spot in the round-of-16 in the Champions League.
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