Asked directly if he thought that Martial had lost his focus, Mourinho said no, although he did add that “I think he just didn’t catch with both hands a big opportunity he had”.

Mourinho, though, has promised Martial he will keep his place if he performs well against a Wigan side who have climbed out of the Championship relegation zone after winning their last two matches.

The manager will also play Sergio Romero in goal after agreeing to give David de Gea the weekend off, with Joel Pereira named on the bench, while leftback Luke Shaw will play for the first time since November after recovering from injury.

Jose Mourinho warns Anthony Martial against wasting chance to shine at Manchester United

“Anthony will play on Sunday and if he plays magnificently, he will play against Hull in the next match – it’s simple,” Mourinho said.

United have secured a place in the League Cup final after beating Hull 3-2 on aggregate despite losing Thursday’s second leg 2-1, a result that ended the club’s 17-match unbeaten run.

Mourinho was unimpressed with his side’s display at the KCOM Stadium, and has made clear he expects better on Sunday.

His team won 2-0 at Wigan in a preseason friendly, although the Championship club have changed their manager since then.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho understands lures of China

Gary Caldwell was sacked in late October and replaced early the following month by Warren Joyce, who spent 10 years as the reserve team manager at Old Trafford.

“We know the difficulty to play against Championship teams. We played Wigan already in preseason and now they are with Warren, who knows us well and will come with special motivation to play against his old club,” Mourinho said.

“I worked at the club with him for a few months but it was enough to know he’s a very nice man, a very passionate football man. He took the risk, accepted the challenge and left a good situation at this club.”

Joyce had a difficult start at Wigan, losing seven of his first 10 league matches in charge, although successive wins over Burton Albion and Brentford have improved the mood considerably.

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He is not the only United connection at Wigan as midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe, who is on loan from Fulham, is set to feature against the club where he started his career.

Joyce is Wigan’s fourth permanent manager since Roberto Martinez won the FA Cup with them in 2013.

Watch: Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho

Two relegations followed, and they were only promoted back to the Championship in May.

The manager has played down the significance of his Old Trafford return, saying: “I don’t think this game is about me.

“It’s obviously a great day out for the fans, and a great opportunity for the players to play at an iconic stadium, pitting themselves against some of the top players in the world – and to try to win a game.”