Jose Mourinho to Reportedly Start Anthony Martial for Man Utd vs. Juventus

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly told forward Anthony Martial he will start Tuesday's UEFA Champions League showdown with Juventus. 

The France international has been in excellent form of late, following up his goal against Newcastle United at Old Trafford in a 3-2 win with a brace on Saturday in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea.

According to RMC Sport (h/t Andrew Gilpin of the Daily Mirror), Mourinho has told Martial he will be involved on Tuesday when the Italian champions come to town. It's said that Alexis Sanchez, who has been battling for a spot on the left flank since his arrival at the club in January, is struggling to be fit for the clash with Juventus.

RMC Sport also reported Martial is ready to sign a new contract despite speculation about his future throughout the summer. The 22-year-old became the then-most expensive teenager in the history of the game when he signed for the Red Devils from Monaco in 2015.

Per Simon Peach of the Press Association, Mourinho said he is pleased with the way his No. 11 is operating at the moment:

As relayed by Gilpin, recently the forward dismissed speculation that he and Mourinho fell out during the summer.

"Come on. Things were not tense between us to begin with," he said. "We have a player-coach relationship, and I hope that we will continue like that and bring Manchester United as much as possible."

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Martial enjoyed a brilliant debut season with United but has failed to find similar levels of consistency in subsequent campaigns. However, in recent weeks there have been signs of the winger finding his best once again.

Against Chelsea he was sensational in the second period, netting an equaliser following a brilliant touch and finish before curling home a sumptuous second. He's now on three goals for the season and has been the team's most regular goalscorer since his arrival:

Football journalist Sam Pilger praised the United man, suggesting he has the talent to go to the summit of the game:

While Martial has made some big contributions to the Red Devils cause of late, the showdown with Juventus represents another major step up for him.

The Italian champions head into this fixture after a brilliant beginning to the campaign, winning both of their Champions League matches and taking 25 points from a possible 27 in Serie A. United, despite improvements recently, do appear to still have issues to resolve throughout their side.

If Martial can inspire United to a win here, it would potentially trump everything he's done in his Old Trafford career to date.