Manchester United stormed to the most unlikely of derby wins yesterday when two goals in the dying moments of normal time saw them overcome a Manchester City side who were just short of slipping into cruise control.
While ultimately Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo's last-minute heroics delivered the storyline, pre-game Ruben Amorim was busy putting his own stamp on his Manchester United team, making the bold call to drop both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from his match-day squad in what felt like a pivotal moment for the new manager.
The decision certainly paid off for Amorim when youngster Amad Diallo overturned City's one-goal lead by winning the penalty Bruno Fernandes slotted away, moments before adding his own name to the scoreboard with an emphatic winner from quite the angle that stunned Manchester City and the Premier League.
However, before Manchester United delivered the biggest upset of their season so far, Ruben Amorim was being grilled on the reasons two of the club's most high-profile names had been emitted. Unwaveringly, the manager laid the blame for their omission back at their feet, citing their off-field preparation and communication as key factors in how they were evaluated before being dropped.
"We try to evaluate everything, training performance, game performances, engagement with team-mates, push their team-mates up. Everything is on the line when we analyse and try to choose the players. It is my selection" Amorim said.
I pay attention to everything, the way you eat, the way you put your clothes to go to a game. Everything. I make my evaluation and then I decide.
🗣️ "When people in our club are losing their jobs, we have to put the standards really high."
Rúben Amorim on the omission of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford from today's squad. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/MLgeGQeKWR— Stretford Paddock (@StretfordPaddck) December 15, 2024
Amorim spoke more about it after the victory, and suggested he took action because of how the players had trainied.
You understand for so long we try something with Rash, it doesn't work. Let's continue to do the same thing or try something different? It's as simple as that. They have to work hard. Today they trained really hard. It was not a disciplinary thing. Next week, next game, new life... When we want to change a lot of things, when people in the club are losing their jobs, they have to fight for their place in the team.
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Manchester United insider suggests more news to come on Rashford and Garnacho
However, despite Amorim's insistence that the pair's exclusion from yesterday's game was simply a selection call, a number of reports this morning are unsurprisingly suggesting that there's more to this saga than meets the eye.
Speaking on the popular Manchester United podcast Stretford Paddock last night, Stephen Howson seemed certain that it was only a matter of time before more details about the pair's exclusion emerged. After much contemplation in-the-know podcaster appeared to suggest that more information was about to surface about why Rashford and Garnacho weren't involved yesterday.
I think we'll all know by this time tomorrow (Monday), I think it'll come out, I actually know the venue as well now. I don't think the lid stays on this one. I don't think it's about what people have been speculating and waffling shite about all week, it's not that.
It's not a good look for the players involved.
The chat begins around 2.50 here.
Rashford previously found himself in hot water when he missed training in Manchester following a night out in Belfast earlier this year.
While Howson was adamant that the emergence of the true story was inevitable, elsewhere the Sun in the UK has reported that an investigation into the leaking of the Manchester United team has commenced, with Alejandro Garnacho one of the names probed over the issue.
Ruben Amorim's team was leaked on Saturday night ahead of Sunday's clash, with fans on social media accusing Garnacho's brother of being responsible for the leak. Similarly, Manchester United have been the victim of having their team leaked on previous occasions when Garnacho has been left out of the team. Amad Diallo was also reportedly questioned according to the Sun.
However Howson seems to suggest the leaking isn't the reason for the dropping.
