Ruben Anorim has claimed his decision not to include Marcus Rashford in the squad to face Tottenham on Thursday night was purely down to “selection.” The forward did not arrive in north London with the squad and as expected, was left out of the 20 named before kick-off.
Alejandro Garnacho meanwhile, who like Rashford was left out of the win at Manchester City on Sunday, was selected among the substitutes.
And ahead of the League Cup quarter-final tie, Amorim was asked to explain why Rashford had again been omitted.
“Selection,” replied the Portuguese boss. “I chose the players that looked ready to cope with the demands of playing a strong game, so I tried to visualise (this) all week and chose my players for selection.”
Asked if the same reasons that Amorim listed on Sunday were still relevant, Amorim replied: “It’s always the same with every player, not just Marcus. So, in the end I had to make a selection and did it.”
As for recalling Garnacho, he added: “He’s shown me good (things), like the others. He is prepared to play the game, I really like the way he trained. It’s one more option for the offence.
“He’s really fast, he’s good in one against one situations, and we need this kind of ability from Garnacho. And he is ready to help us.”
Rashford was reportedly absent from training on Monday, having cited illness. The following day, he gave an interview to esteemed football journalist Henry Winter where he revealed he was prepared to leave the club.
He was nowhere to be seen when the first-team squad congregated on Wednesday to travel to the capital, fuelling speculation he had again been left out. And the latest development throws futher doubt on whether he’ll still be at Old Trafford beyond January.
Rashford scored in the final the last time the Red Devils won the competition under Erik ten Hag in the 2022/23 season. And Amorim was also asked if tonight represented a big chance for him to reach a major semi-final early in his tenure.
“Right now, every game we play is really important,” he said. “Because it’s a message for our fans. We don’t look it as a Cup game or League game just one more match that we need to win.”
