Anthony Martial says he has benefited from Mourinho’s tough love

Anthony Martial has started the season in fine form, to the tune of six goals, six assists, and at least one attempted murder. Last year, the attacker was often singled out by José Mourinho for failing to meet the manager’s expectations, at times consigned to the bench or left out of the matchday squad altogether. This season though, Martial is being regularly rotated with Marcus Rashford on the left of United’s attack, and appears to have gained Mourinho’s trust. And far from harboring any grudges over the manager’s treatment of him, Martial seems to consider it all for the best.

“He is hard with all of us and he is hard with me, there is no question. I know that it is for my benefit, but I also know that he really likes me as a person so there is no issue about the discipline being for the wrong reasons. Our objective, of course, is to have all of us in audition [training] and being fit to play every match, and that is what I'm hoping to do.

“At the beginning, we didn't know each other too well but over time we have gotten to know each other better. He knows my strengths and he knows my weaknesses, such as they are, but the outcome is that we are learning to give everything in the right way.”

Isn’t that lovely.

For fans of the Glazer family managing to save a buck or two, good news! Manchester United turned a profit from Danny Drinkwater’s transfer from Leicester City to Chelsea, due to a sell-on clause. It turns out that Nemanja Matić - possibly the signing of the summer - was even cheaper than we thought.

United have sent scouts to look at West Ham teenager Domingos Quina. Quina joined West Ham from Chelsea’s academy last summer, and has been attracting interest around Europe for some time. The 17 year-old midfielder scored for Portugal’s U-19 team over the international break, and has made two senior appearances for West Ham this season. But with David Moyes now in charge and likely to suck all of the joy out of the place - not that there was a lot there to begin with - the youngster may start eyeing a move elsewhere.

Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo is on the Reds’ radar as well, and he could be available for transfer, according to the club’s chief executive. Grimaldo is a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, and at only 22 years-old, has established himself as a fixture in Benfica’s defense. Is he any good? Who knows. But United’s current left-back options are a shambles, so it stands to reason that they would be looking to strengthen the position as soon as possible.