Ruben Amorim has given an insight into how Alejandro Garnacho has reacted to being dropped from his squad for the Manchester derby.
Last week, Garnacho and his teammate Marcus Rashford were omitted from Amorim’s matchday squad for their Premier League clash against Manchester City.
Asked about his team selection, Amorim told Sky Sports: “We try to evaluate everything. Training performance, game performances, engagement with teammates, push their teammates up.”
He added: “Everything is on the line when we analyse and try to choose the players. It is my selection. Simple.”
The Portuguese head coach said both players would have the chance to fight for their place ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Spurs.
And on Wednesday, it emerged that Garnacho has been recalled to the squad, while Rashford was left out again after admitting he was ready for a new challenge away from Old Trafford.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Spurs, Ruben Amorim was asked how Garnacho has reacted to not being in Sunday’s squad.
Here, he gave an insight into the Argentine’s current state of mind.
“Really good. [He] trained really well,” Amorim said. “He seems a little bit upset with me and that is perfect. I was really, really happy because I would do the same and he is ready for this game.”
Amorim was also quizzed on Rashford’s recent admission about wanting to leave Manchester United for a so-called “new challenge”.
Garnacho came on as a late sub in their Europa League clash against Viktoria Plzen. Image credit: Getty
He said: “If this was me, probably I would speak with the manager, but let’s focus on Tottenham. It’s hard to explain to you guys what I am going to do. I’m a little bit emotional so in the moment I will decide what to do.”
As well as speaking on Garnacho and Rashford, Amorim reiterated that he is not concerned about the ongoing team leaks after he said it was “impossible” to stop.
“Nothing. Nowadays, all of the coaches know about it,” he said regarding the leaks. “I explained a lot about the team, how I want us to play, the positions etc.
“I say that because I understand that the coaches have that information just to see one time how Manchester United play, so I’m not really worried about that. I also cannot control that so I’ll do the same things, and prepare the same way.
“For me, it’s more important for my players to go to a game with a clear idea of how to do it than try to hide something to protect the leaking of the starting XI. That’s not my focus, I’m not really worried about that.”