Ruben Amorim has revealed his reasoning for repeatedly benching Marcus Rashford, stating he would rather select Manchester United’s goalkeeping coach than the player.
Rashford, 27, was absent once again in United’s Premier League win over Fulham on Sunday.
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Manchester United’s performance against Marco Silva’s Fulham was far from convincing, but they managed to secure a crucial victory, courtesy of Lisandro Martinez’s deflected goal. ..Continue Reading
Rashford last played for his boyhood club on December 12.
In the subsequent Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium, both Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were omitted by Amorim, who implied dissatisfaction with their training performances.
Garnacho has since returned to the squad and continues to play, despite persistent transfer rumors suggesting he might leave before the January window closes next week.
However, Rashford, also subject to intense transfer speculation, has remained sidelined by Amorim, who took over as Manchester United’s manager in November after Erik ten Hag’s departure.
When asked about Rashford’s absence at Craven Cottage, Amorim said: ‘It’s the same, it’s always the same reason.’
Asked to specify the ‘reason’ Rashford keeps getting overlooked, Amorim added: ‘The reason is the training, the way I see what footballers should do in training, in life, it’s every day, every detail.
‘So if things don’t change, I will not change. It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum, if you do the right things, we can use every player.
‘You can see it today on the bench, we miss a little bit of pace to go and change the game, move some pieces.
‘But I prefer it like that. I will put Vital [Man United goalkeeper coaching Jorge Vital] on before I put a player on that don’t give the maximum every day. So I will not change in that department.’
Having joined Manchester United at the age of seven, Rashford has made over 400 first-team appearances since his debut in 2026.
The England international thrived in his most prolific campaign under Ten Hag but has seen his contributions decline over the past two seasons.
Shortly after being excluded from the Manchester derby, Rashford expressed his desire for a ‘new challenge.’
Several clubs, both domestic and foreign, have shown interest in the 27-year-old, but his substantial wages remain a significant obstacle.
Following Amorim’s recent remarks about him, Rashford took to Instagram to commend his teammates on their victory over Fulham.
‘Congratulations on the win lads,’ he posted.
Amorim described his team as possibly the “worst” in Manchester United’s 147-year history following a heavy home defeat to Brighton last weekend.
However, the Red Devils bounced back by securing victories over Rangers in the Europa League and Fulham in the Premier League, climbing to 12th in the English top-flight.
‘That feeling of winning and three points is really important for us,’ Amorim said after the Fulham win. ‘You cannot see a great improvement in the team and that is a fact.
‘But to win helps us to improve. We’ve had some lack of luck in some games. Today, was not the best match but we managed to win.
‘The important thing is I have a clear idea of what I want to do. Sometimes I’m frustrated. We want to play a different style and we are going to play different style in the future.’
