Not a mistake – Ruben Amorim defends Marcus Rashford omission after Man Utd exit

By George Sessions, PA

Ruben Amorim insisted it was not a mistake to leave Marcus Rashford out of the Manchester United squad for Thursday’s 4-3 defeat at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

Rashford declared on Tuesday he was “ready for a new challenge” after United boss Amorim decided to omit the 27-year-old academy product from the team for the 2-1 derby win at Manchester City on Sunday.

While Rashford’s current deal at the club runs until 2028 and Amorim insisted he wanted the “big talent” to stay on Wednesday, the England international was left at home for this cup tie in the capital to spark more speculation over his future.

United were 3-0 down after 54 minutes at Tottenham and despite a second-half fightback they exited the competition, but the Portuguese head coach defended his decision.

Asked if it was a mistake to leave Rashford out, Amorim said: “No it is not.

“I feel that I do the right thing for the team so it’s never a mistake. We have to make a selection.

“Sometimes, like in the game, you feel that some of the guys go inside of the pitch and change a little bit of the game. Sometimes it is like that.

“I think it was not a mistake because I feel I am always doing the best for the team in my way of seeing things.”

Rashford has scored just 15 goals in 67 appearances in the 18 months since signing a big-money deal until 2028, with his future set to be a big topic of debate over the next month.