Follow live coverage of Manchester City vs Manchester United with The Athletic
Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have been left out of the Manchester United squad for the derby meeting with Manchester City on Sunday.
Both players had featured in all 15 of United’s Premier League games so far this season, with Rashford starting 12 of them and Garnacho 10.
Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Amad have instead been preferred in the forward positions by head coach Ruben Amorim.
Joshua Zirkzee, a starter against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday, is on the bench for the fixture at Etihad Stadium.
Amorim says both players were told via WhatsApp ahead of the game and that both “trained well” on Sunday morning as is the normal routine for players not involved in matchday squads.
“Selection,” the Portuguese head coach said when asked by Sky Sports to explain the pair’s absence. “We try to evaluate everything: training, performance, game performance, engagement with the team-mates, pushing the team-mates up. Everything is on the line when we analyse and try to choose the players, so that is my selection. Simple.
“I don’t want to send a message. It’s simply an evaluation, and they know it. The players are really, really smart. Everybody understands my decision. I have to choose. It’s just simple selection.
“The context is difficult. We have to win games and we have a difficult situation. I pay attention to everything, the way you eat, the way you put on your clothes to go the game. Everything. I make my evaluation and then I have to decide. I have a lot of players to choose.”
Rashford and Garnacho have both been left out by Amorim (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Amorim had challenged Rashford to keep producing after scoring twice against Everton earlier this month, saying: “He can play so much better, as can the other guys.”
“(Amorim) is definitely demanding but gives encouragement to bring your strengths into the game. That is when you get a really good team performance,” Rashford said in response.
“Hopefully, we can build on this and keep pushing. We have to keep pushing every day to meet his demands.”
Rashford was left out of the starting lineup for a November 2022 game at Wolves by then manager Erik ten Hag for “internal disciplinary” reasons.
It later came to light that he had overslept and been late for a meeting which was deemed a breach of team rules.
Ten Hag went on to bring Rashford on at half-time with the match goalless, before the forward scored the game’s deciding goal in a 1-0 win.
Rashford has played 24 times in all competitions for United this season, scoring seven goals and adding three assists.
Garnacho has also featured 24 times, scoring eight times while laying on four goals for team-mates.
United head to the home of their rivals 13th in the Premier League table, eight points behind Pep Guardiola’s side in fifth.
(Top photo: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
