Ruben Amorim insists that Marcus Rashford still has a future at Manchester United, but has no regrets about leaving him out of his squad once again against Tottenham.
Rashford was not involved for the second game in a row in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Thursday night, having also been omitted from Amorim’s squad alongside Alejandro Garnacho for the dramatic late derby win over crisis-stricken rivals Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend.
That initial absence was followed by the England forward admitting in an interview with football journalist Henry Winter that he was “ready for a new challenge”, with his time at Old Trafford appearing to be coming towards an unhappy conclusion after almost 20 years.
Amorim has since called for Rashford to stay at United and “embrace the challenge” that he faces at his boyhood club, though opted not to recall him against Spurs - even though Garnacho did return to the squad in north London and came off the bench for the final 20 minutes of a chaotic 4-3 defeat for the Red Devils.
Omission: Marcus Rashford did not return to the Manchester United squad against Tottenham
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Asked about Rashford’s latest omission by Sky Sports ahead of the game, Amorim - who declared himself pleased with Garnacho’s reaction to being dropped for the Manchester derby - said: “Selection. I chose the players that I felt were ready to cope with the demands of playing a strong game.
“I try to visualise all the week and then choose my players. Just selection.”
Inevitably facing more questions on Rashford after a game in which United trailed 3-0 with under half an hour to play but moved within one goal thanks to two Fraser Forster blunders before Heung-min Son scored directly from a corner and Jonny Evans notched a last-gasp effort, Amorim insisted it was not a mistake to leave him at home.
“If I feel that I do the right thing for the team, it’s never a mistake,” he said. “The guys who came on the pitch [Amad Diallo and Garnacho] changed the game.”
Amorim expects Rashford to train at Carrington on Friday as normal ahead of Sunday’s Premier League fixture at home to Bournemouth, saying: “Of course, he is a Manchester United player. Tomorrow we have training, Marcus Rashford will be there, preparing for the next game, and you will see the selection.”
Sympathy for Rashford seemed to be in short supply in the away end at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, with one banner spotted that read: “Excuses. Ta ra Marcus.”