MANCHESTER -- Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho hinted to Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial that he can not guarantee regular them regular football at Old Trafford.
Rashford and Martial have both been linked with summer exits this week with the pair reportedly frustrated at a lack of games since the arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January.
Rashford has started just once Premier League in 2018 -- although the 20-year-old has made more United appearances than any other player since Mourinho took charge; Martial, meanwhile, has started two of United's last nine games.
Mourinho, though, insists he does not have to defend his team selections.
"If I was you I would go why [Romelu] Lukaku plays every match, why [Nemanja] Matic plays every match," Mourinho told a news conference on Friday."You always go to the one, the answer is if you want what I call dry answers, I have dry answers and a dry answer is only 11 can start the match and we are 22.
"It is just football, we cannot have 11 players, it would be amazing economically for the football clubs to have only 11 and play with the same 11, no injuries, suspension, fatigue, it would be better for everyone to have only 11 but is not possible.
"At every club and every level, you need more than 11 players and only 11 can start, is as simple as that, there's nothing I can do."
Rashford and Martial will both hope to start when West Brom, the Premier League's bottom side, visit Old Trafford on Sunday.
Mourinho has all of his outfield players available after Marouane Fellaini returned to training following a muscle injury; Sergio Romero is still sidelined with knee problem.
West Brom, who have Darren Moore in charge after Alan Pardew was sacked, go into the game 10 points from safety but Mourinho says he is "surprised" they find themselves at the foot of the table.
"The quality, the experience of many of the players, the squad, the stability of the past years, it is a surprise for me they find themselves in this position," he said.
"In our case, we come from a big result and during the week. I was trying to fight that result by working well and hard and making the players understand it is not enough to deserve second, we need the points and to finish fourth, we need four or five points but to finish second we need much more than that and after three important points we have to try to do these three and closer to the end of the season and second position."