Amorim on dropping Rashford: ´We have to set standards really high´

Ruben Amorim said that Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were not injured for Sunday’s visit to Manchester City, despite being left out of the Manchester United squad.

Eyebrows were raised pre-match when neither Rashford or Garnacho were named on Amorim’s bench for a game that United dramatically won 2-1 in the closing stages.

Since Amorim’s arrival at the club, Rashford has netted three Premier League goals in four appearances, featuring in 220 minutes of action in the top-flight in those outings.

Garnacho, meanwhile, has scored once under the Portuguese, with that solitary strike coming in the Red Devils’ 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League last month.

But speaking after the victory at the Etihad Stadium, Amorim implied that the need to improve the standards at the club helped him come to his decision of leaving out the pair.

“The performance in training, the performance in games, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with your team-mates, the way you push,” Amorim said. “For me, it is important.

“In our context, at the beginning of something, when we want to change a lot of things, when people in our clubs are losing their jobs, we have to make the standards really high.

“Today the team proved we can leave anyone out of the squad and manage to win if you play together.”

Manchester City were leading 1-0 at 87:10, but less than two minutes later (89:06) Manchester United lead 2-1 in the derby.

Astonishing. pic.twitter.com/hTIBQ0b1Dx

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 15, 2024

Amorim’s risky selection ultimately paid off, with his side scoring twice in two minutes late on to inflict Pep Guardiola’s eighth defeat in 11 matches in all competitions.

Bruno Fernandes restored parity from the penalty spot after Amad Diallo was fouled inside the area by Matheus Nunes following the City midfielder’s poor back pass.

Fernandes has now scored 21 of his 25 penalties for United in the Premier League, the outright most by any player for the club (overtaking Wayne Rooney – 20/28).

The win was sealed by Diallo with the game ticking into stoppage time, latching on to Lisandro Martinez’s pass before finishing past Ederson following an exquisite first touch.

The Ivorian’s strike was just the seventh 90th-minute winner against a reigning champion, and the second by a United player. Robin van Persie netted the other, also against City, back in December 2012.