Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says he has dropped Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho for the Manchester derby for 'selection' reasons rather than injury or illness.
Eyebrows were raised on Sunday afternoon when it was confirmed that the striker had been left out of the 20-man matchday squad to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Rashford played 56 minutes of Thursday's 2-1 Europa League comeback win against Viktoria Plzen, with Garnacho introduced as an 81st-minute substitute.
But instead of playing against neighbors City in the Premier League on Sunday, the pair trained at the team's training ground on Sunday morning.
Asked about the decision to leave out Rashford and Garnacho, United boss Amorim told Sky Sports: “Selection.
“We try to evaluate everything: training, performance, game performance, involvement with the teammates, taking the teammates to the next level.
“Everything is at stake when we analyze the players and try to choose them, so it was my selection. Simple.”
“I don't want to send a message to the locker room. It's just an evaluation, and they know that.”
“The players are very smart and so everyone understands my decision and I have to choose. It's just a simple selection.”
“Of course the context is difficult: we have to win games and we have a difficult situation now.
“But like I said, I pay attention to everything: the way you eat, the way you put on your clothes to go to the game. Everything.”
“I make my evaluation and then I have to decide. I have many players to choose from and today I made my choice.”
A United source told the PA news agency that Garnacho's absence has nothing to do with team leak allegations, but his absence along with Rashford's leaves more questions than answers.
“It's always the same and they all understand,” Amorim said of how the couple found out.
“There is a message that after the last training they go to WhatsApp and then they receive the information. But it is going well, they had training this morning.
“I was there because it's important for every player… even Jonny Evans because Jonny Evans also (trained) and Toby (Collyer) was there and everything was fine. They trained really well.”
Keane: Rashford's omission is no surprise
Sky Sports' Roy Keane said of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford's omissions: “It's a big decision.
“He's clearly seen something he doesn't like. But for those who have watched Manchester United recently, it's not a big surprise because both players have been poor. He has said: 'Enough is enough'.”
“It's a big decision, but I like to see it: he has set a milestone. A move for Marcus [Rashford] would suit the player – a new challenge for him. He's been there a long time. If you're at a big club and your attitude isn't good – and it hasn't been great lately – then sometimes it's good to part ways.”
Micah Richards added: “It's sad for a local boy in Rashford, who should be the talisman of this team… to see how his career has developed in recent years.
“We saw that he had a few good seasons and thought this is the time to become the leader. And then to not be involved in the derby, you can imagine he is heartbroken.”
“There's a player in there, but it can't help that the manager is constantly changing. It's a sad story for a player of that quality.”
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