Jose Mourinho has claimed Anthony Martial is benefiting from Manchester United’s “French connection” and has backed the player to reach his full potential at the club.

The 21-year-old scored in United’s 4-0 demolition of Swansea on Saturday - his second goal in as many games - and continues to impress for the side following a series of notable performances in the off-season.

Questions have been previously raised over the Frenchman’s place at Old Trafford but, speaking in the wake of Saturday’s victory at the Liberty Stadium, Mourinho suggested Martial is moving in the right direction as a player and cited the side’s French-speaking contingent as a factor behind his recent improvements.

Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Łukasz Fabiański - 6 Unlucky to concede from Bailly after a sublime save from Pogba’s header. Helpless for United’s second and third goals. Getty Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Federico Fernández - 6 Came up with a crucial defensive header to deny Romelu Lukaku what would’ve been an almost-certain goal. Getty Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Kyle Bartley - 4 Missed the target with two good headed opportunities in the first half. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Alfie Mawson - 5 Almost gifted Marcus Rashford the opener in the first half but was let off the hook by a poor finish. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Roque Mesa - 5 A decent debut but it will take him a while to adapt to the frantic pace of the Premier League. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Kyle Naughton - 5 Played at wing-back in a new Swansea formation but didn’t have many opportunities to get forward. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Leroy Fer - 5 Unspectacular in the middle of the park. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Tom Carroll - 6 Some top-class set pieces and has the right to be annoyed at his teammates for not converting. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Martin Olsson - 5 Like Naughton, couldn’t get forward as much as he would’ve liked as United dominated possession for the majority of the match. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Tammy Abraham - 5 Quiet and missed his one good chance with a header on the hour mark. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Jordan Ayew - 7 Swansea’s most threatening attacker and might’ve had a couple of assists to his name if Tammy Abraham had taken a few more risks. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings David De Gea - 6 Relatively untested but almost caught out by Ayew mishit early on. Getty Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Antonio Valencia - 7 Another dependable performance from the Premier League’s best right-back. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Phil Jones - 8 Looks to be turning into the defender Sir Alex Ferguson hoped he would be. Another serene display at centre half. Getty Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Eric Bailly - 7 A few clumsy moments at the back but nothing terminal and was alert to score the opening goal. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Daley Blind - 7 A solid stand-in at left-back but nowhere near as good going forward as his right-sided counterpart. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Paul Pogba - 8 Lost his rag a little in the first half and was perhaps lucky not to be sent off but played a vital role in three of United’s four goals. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Nemanja Matic - 7 Mr Reliable at the base of United’s midfield. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Juan Mata - 6 Substituted with 25 minutes to go and was probably United’s least effective front-six player on the day. Getty Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 8 Two assists for a second week in a row. Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Romelu Lukaku - 7 Did nothing for 80 minutes before wrapping the game up with a clinical left-footed finish. Getty Swansea vs Manchester United player ratings Marcus Rashford - 7 Was United’s brightest spark in the first half but didn’t have the same impact after the break. Getty

"Anthony Martial is working hard, he is confident” Mourinho said.

“The French language connection is there to help him a lot and get to the level we know he can be because the potential is huge."

The Portuguese added after Saturday’s victory that his side are playing with “happiness”.

"Happiness in our play. It happened to me so much with my teams, you winning 1-0 and you can concede. There was no need to close the door, just let the horses run freely.

"I felt in control, if you had a chance to look at me and my body language I think you could see that. Football is football and when you make a mistake you can concede so I never felt totally relaxed. I had players on the bench who could help me."

Martial with Romelu Lukaku during Saturday's game (Getty)

Paul Pogba, who scored and provided an assist against Swansea, echoed his manager’s sentiment.

"We've had a very good result, 4-0 again with a clean sheet. We want to carry on this road.