After Pogba benching will Lukaku be next? Neville sees Alexis problem for Man Utd striker

Romelu Lukaku could soon follow Paul Pogba onto the Manchester United bench, says Gary Neville, who sees opportunities opening up for others.

Jose Mourinho has shown over recent weeks that he is not afraid to take big-money signings out of the firing line if they are not delivering the required level of performance.

Pogba has found himself at the centre of a substitute debate at Old Trafford, but he may not be the last high-profile figure to be handed an enforced break.

Neville believes £75 million Lukaku is the man most likely to drop out of the side, with Alexis Sanchez capable of operating as a central striker and Marcus Rashford ready to step back in on the flanks.

The former United defender told Sky Sports: "My view at the moment is that the one person who is under some pressure is Romelu Lukaku, in terms of his form, and also that Sanchez could go up front, because I'm not sure he's suited to the right. That may allow Marcus to come back into the team.

"I think Lukaku has done well this season, but I think there comes a point whereby if both he and Alexis Sanchez are not performing to their best, which they are not at the moment, you'd think Sanchez will be moved up top and Lukaku may come out of the team for a few matches.

"It's not because he's a bad player, but he could come out of the team, freshen up, see the game differently, and then come back in when others have had a go."

Rashford will be hoping that proves to be the case, with the 20-year-old forward having found starts hard to come of late.

He has not made Mourinho’s XI for a Premier League fixture since Boxing Day, but Neville believes the England international remains an important part of the Red Devils’ plans.

He added: “I think he's had a lot of playing time this season, he's had a lot of minutes on the pitch and up until a few games ago had taken part in every match.

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"When you're a young player coming into the team, ultimately you're not all of a sudden going to play every game for the rest of your career. Ryan Giggs did that, but that's an exception.

"When I came into the squad, or David Beckham, or John O'Shea, Wes Brown - there are periods where you are in the side for 10 or so matches, in a great run of form, then you dip a bit, then you are out of the team, then you come back in.

"You have that rest, you experience the game from the touchline, you have that period. In my point of view it's not unusual for any young forward or winger to be in and out of the team, it's absolutely usual. It's what I would have expected.

"If I thought he wasn't in the manager's plans, or wasn't in the frame or in favour, I'd be worried then, but I think Jose Mourinho has proven that he likes Marcus Rashford.

"But just at the moment, with Alexis Sanchez signing, with Anthony Martial doing quite well recently, he has just fallen behind those two slightly."