The Manchester United boss seemed likely to sell Martial in the summer after not playing him regularly last season, but the France international has eight goals already this time around.

The Independent reports that "frustration with Martial's form" was partly behind Mourinho's desire to sign Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic during the summer.

But it adds that such is the turnaround in Martial's performances that there is now "a feeling at United that he could be one of the best players in the world in the next few years, and potentially a star as big as Paul Pogba."

That has "played a part in the cooling of interest in Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann as well as Real Madrid's Gareth Bale."