No more youngsters are ready to break through into Manchester United's first team, according to Jose Mourinho.

This year has seen the emergence of Marcus Rashford at Old Trafford and Boxing Day marked 3,831 consecutive matches with an academy product in their squad.

But Mourinho - who has not utilised Timothy Fosu-Mensah often - does not envisage many making the step up soon.

Jose Mourinho has not often looked to Manchester United's academy players so far this term

Mourinho offers words of advice to Henrikh Mkhitaryan who arrived at the club last summer

Louis van Gaal brought plenty through from the club's Under 23 team, yet Mourinho insisted that was down to circumstance than design.

'Last season, some of the boys were waiting. Some of them with great talent,' he told fanzine United We Stand.

'Rashford is head of that talent. They were in a period where they had to play. They had no pressure at all. Nobody expected anything from them.

'There were no senior players on the bench waiting for them to make a mistake, just them. The choice was Rashford or Rashford. Mensah or Mensah.'

Experienced pros such as Michael Carrick have also been used in the centre of midfield

David Moyes had suggested that United had betrayed their principles on blooding local talent

Mourinho also suggested Rashford should be afforded more time and offered reasons why the 18-year-old has not been as involved.

'I investigated the history of some young players at the club,' Mourinho added. 'One is one of the greatest players this club has ever had – Ryan Giggs.

'His second season was not comparable with the season when he started. Then, in the third season, he reached the level of Giggs.

Marcus Rashford's presence on the bench continued the record regarding academy products

Mourinho believes there may not be another player like Rashford to come through this season

'That happens with many youth players. They are free when they first come, free of responsibilities and to express themselves.

'Opponents don't know them, they're caught by surprise. That changes in the second season, but we train many times with the young players here.