Man United boss Amorim coy over reason for leaving Rashford and Garnacho out of Man City clash

By: James Robson, The Associated Press Posted: 9:57 AM CST Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 Last Modified: 4:06 PM CST Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024

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MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were surprise omissions from Manchester United's squad against Manchester City on Sunday.

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MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were surprise omissions from Manchester United's squad against Manchester City on Sunday.

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This article was published 15/12/2024 (658 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were surprise omissions from Manchester United’s squad against Manchester City on Sunday.

And United head coach Ruben Amorim was coy about the reason for leaving out two of his most high profile players.

“It was not a disciplinary thing — next week, next game, new life,” Amorim said after the 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford reacts during the Europa League soccer match between Viktoria Plzen and Manchester United at the Doosan Arena in Plzen, Czech Republic, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

“They are fighting for the places, but for me it’s important for me the performance in training, the performance in game, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with the teammates, the way you push your teammates. Everything is important in our context in the beginning of changing a lot of things. When people in our club are losing their jobs, we have to put the standards really high.”

It was Amorim’s first Manchester derby since taking over as United’s head coach last month. And the bold call paid off with his team staging a late comeback through goals from Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo to seal a memorable win.

Rashford was substituted after 56 minutes of United’s Europa League match against Viktoria Plzen on Thursday and has scored three goals in six appearances under Amorim.

Garnacho, who scored in United’s FA Cup final win against City in May, came on as a substitute against Plzen.

“If they train well with the talent they have, we will be so much better with both of them (Rashford and Garnacho). But they have to work hard,” Amorim said. “Today, they train really hard, so it’s a good thing.”

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer