Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford did not travel to the Etihad Stadium with his Manchester United teammates to face Manchester City (Image: John Walton/PA Wire)
Marcus Rashford did not even travel with the Manchester United team as he was left out of the matchday squad for Sunday's dramatic derby day comeback win against fierce rivals City. Instead, the boyhood United fan watched on from home.
Dropped from the group by Ruben Amorim, Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were instructed to train on Sunday morning whilst their teammates prepared. Explaining the decision, United's head coach said: "It’s important to say why: was not a disciplinary thing. Amorim Next week, next game, new life, they are fighting for their places.
"But for me, it’s important: the performance in training, the performance in game, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with teammates, the way you push your teammates, everything is important in our context in the beginning of something when when we want to change a lot of things.
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"When people in our club are losing their jobs we have to put the standards really high and for that they have to fight for a place in the team. And today the team proved we can leave anyone out of the squad and manage to win if you play together."
Unable to impact the game on the pitch, Rashford chose to support United off it. Posting online at full-time he wrote: "Yesssssssss! Love it lads [red heart emojis]".
Photographing on his phone in front of a TV, presumably at his own house, Rashford captured the celebrations from Amad's late winner. His immediate reaction to the game, as well as Amorim's comments and the responses of his teammates on Insta, all suggest that things are not as bad as first seemed.
Roy Keane, for example, claimed that Rashford needs to leave United and that a parting of the ways is best for all. Amorim doesn't appear to believe that things have gone that far, though.
"I’m going to say again was not a disciplinary thing," he added. "It’s the small details. You can see the games like I see, there are some things that have to change.
"But it is a new life, it’s not a disciplinary thing, it’s the performance in training, the performance in game and I have to choose players. Jonny Evans did everything right, he was at home, and he is really important for us.
"If it was disciplinary, I would say that here and it will be a bigger problem but was not that. Sometimes I want to improve my players and you understand that for so long.
"We tried for example with Rash, it does not work. Let’s continue to do the same thing or try something different? So it’s as simple as that. If they train well with the talent they have we will be so much better with them.
"But they have to work hard, they do, today they trained really hard. New week, new life, let’s see. You can dress in a way that I don’t like, really don’t like, but it’s not a disciplinary thing. It’s the small details. But the performance in training and games, then I have to choose. That’s it. New week, new life. That’s it."
It is certainly a good thing for Rashford that Amorim is leaving an immediate return open, and his decision to quickly show joy at the victory also indicates things are better than initially thought. United's choice not to take him across Manchester still says it's own story for now.