Ruben Amorim said Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were not injured during Sunday's visit to Manchester City despite being left out of Manchester United's squad.
Eyebrows were raised ahead of the match when neither Rashford nor Garnacho were named on the Amorim bench for a match that United won dramatically 2-1 in the closing stages.
Since Amorim's arrival at the club, Rashford has scored three Premier League goals in four appearances, playing 220 top-flight minutes in those games.
Garnacho, meanwhile, has scored once for the Portuguese, with that solitary goal in the Red Devils' 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League last month.
But after the win at the Etihad Stadium, Amorim suggested the need to improve standards at the club helped guide his decision to leave the pair out.
“The performance in training, the performance in matches, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you interact with your teammates, the way you push,” Amorim said. “It's important to me.
“In our context, at the beginning of something, if we want to change a lot of things, if people in our clubs lose their jobs, we have to set the standards very high.
“Today the team proved that we can leave anyone out of the squad and win if you play together.”
Manchester City led 1-0 at 87:10, but less than two minutes later (89:06) Manchester United led 2-1 in the derby.
Amazing. pic.twitter.com/hTIBQ0b1Dx
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 15, 2024
Amorim's risky selection ultimately paid off as his side scored twice in two minutes late, inflicting Pep Guardiola's eighth defeat in 11 games in all competitions.
Bruno Fernandes restored parity from the penalty spot after Amad Diallo was fouled by Matheus Nunes in the penalty area following a poor back pass from the City midfielder.
Fernandes has now scored 21 of his 25 penalties for United in the Premier League, the most of any player for the club (overtaking Wayne Rooney – 20/28).
The win was sealed by Diallo, with the match heading into stoppage time, Lisandro Martinez holding on before finishing past Ederson after an excellent first touch.
The Ivorian's strike was only the seventh winner in the 90th minute against a reigning champion, and the second by a United player. Robin van Persie scored the other, also against City, in December 2012.
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