Will Martial ever thrive at Manchester United under Mourinho?

It was one of those performances that appealed to the traditions and support of Manchester United, but will likely propagate the doubts harboured by Jose Mourinho.

Anthony Martial was given a standing ovation by Old Trafford when he was substituted after 75 minutes of Tuesday's 2-0 win over Benfica. For a crowd that's been reared on the maverick stunts of Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo, or the basic yet arguably more pulsating hard running and dribbling of Ryan Giggs, Martial's adventurous inroads down the left flank were unsurprisingly enthralling. No United player has a greater knack of slaloming tight routes through bodies than the Lyon product, and his intelligent backheel to release Matteo Darmian down the right in the second half was stunning.

It was an outing that Cantona, Ronaldo, and Giggs would've applauded themselves. Mourinho, who roused a muted clap for Martial when he was withdrawn, will instead wince when he rewatches runs that resulted in goal-kick practice for Mile Svilar or squandered opportunities, like when Martial's tame penalty was palmed away by the teenage goalkeeper.

"Sometimes he starts the match and his contribution is good but he doesn't score," Mourinho told BBC Sport of his difficult relationship with Martial after the Frenchman bagged the decisive goal against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

He added on his forward's match-winning finish that weekend: "Martial scores with a bad shot, but the bad shots can be the most beautiful."

It's the lack of an end product that rankles with Mourinho, and is the reason for Martial starting less than half of United's league matches in the Portuguese's maiden season at the club's helm. Too often his darts and dribbles are blighted by indecision, rather than an early shot that could result in a rebound or corner, or force an error from the opposition.

Marcus Rashford, with Sunday's blockbuster bout with Chelsea on the horizon, was held back until he replaced Martial late on. He continues to be a preferred attacker for Mourinho due to him being a more predictable and malleable player. Rashford was given 75 minutes in the reverse meeting with Benfica two weeks ago, and struck an extra shot on target and made less unsuccessful touches than Martial did in Tuesday's tussle. The latter was on the pitch for the same duration, and enjoyed home comforts.

Local lad Rashford's traits echo those of legends that have played at Old Trafford before him, but he's also adept at doubling up defensive efforts with his full-back and mucking in with other Mourinho-pleasing graft. Martial's unpredictability, however, means he's not a reliable option when Mourinho is setting up a conservative game plan designed to thieve a treasured one-goal win. That's why he didn't start against Tottenham, and why he's unlikely to be involved from the first whistle in the trip to Chelsea.

What Mourinho wants from a player - "loyalty, consistency, ambition, team player," as he detailed when unveiling Nemanja Matic in the summer - aren't fully checked off by Martial. He's still raw and - an aspect that will test Mourinho's patience most - wants to entertain.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

"We stopped playing seriously, we stopped making the right decisions on the pitch. We could have put ourselves in trouble," Mourinho said when his players dared to woo paying spectators against FC Basel in September.

"Fantasy football, PlayStation football, tricks ... I don't like it. You gamble a little bit. Probably the players thought the game was under control at 2-0, but football is football. You have to respect the opponent."

Martial's lush individualism - even his celebrated backheel to Darmian - would've been viewed as an unnecessary risk at losing possession by Mourinho. Ball retention concluded with some form of output - a goal, assist, corner, free-kick - is paramount to his philosophy.

Perhaps taking into account the vastly different education he received at Monaco under attack-obsessed Leonardo Jardim, and the confused methods of Louis van Gaal during his first term at United, Mourinho has been uncharacteristically tolerant of Martial. He discarded Juan Mata much quicker at Chelsea, and he continues to ostracise Luke Shaw after being quickly vexed at having to puppeteer the left-back.

Mourinho sees something in Martial. Everyone at Old Trafford sees something in Martial. But if the frontman doesn't fit easier into Mourinho's tactical blueprint soon, Mourinho may cash in.