by Ruben Amorim said he would rather have Manchester United’s goalkeeping coach in his squad than Marcus Rashford after questioning the 27-year-old’s commitment to the cause.
Out-of-favor Rashford hasn’t played for his hometown club since December 12 and appears to be out in the cold under the Portuguese after re-making the squad for their 1-0 win at Fulham.
United manager Amorim has already suggested that 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital will be given minutes rather than the England striker.
“It’s always the same reason (why Rashford doesn’t play),” Amorim said.
“The reason is training, what a footballer should do in training, in life and every day. If things don’t change, I won’t change.
“It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum and the right things, we can use any player.
“Today we missed a bit of pace on the bench to change the game, but I prefer it that way, I will put in (in) crucial no change in that department. “
However, Rashford took to social media later on Sunday evening to congratulate his teammates on their success in west London.
When asked about Marcus Rashford, Ruben Amorim would bench his goalkeeping coach over players who don’t give their maximum in training 👀 pic.twitter.com/n1ep6v1klk
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 26, 2025
“Congratulations on the win boys,” he posted on his Instagram Stories.
Lisandro Martinez ’78. Minute winner helped United to their second Premier League win in three games.
The defender, who set up skipper Bruno Fernandes for United’s winners in their 2-1 win over Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday, scored with a long-range effort that saw off Cottagers goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
The win moves to 12th and Amorim continued: “It’s a good day for us, it wasn’t a great performance but we fought for the win.
“We had a bit of luck, which sometimes you need to win, including a clean sheet. Let’s bring that feeling into the next game.
“We didn’t play that well with the ball, but we gave the team time. We have intelligent players who can change the game in moments. “
Alejandro Garnacho continued to take minutes despite reports of interest from Chelsea.
Amorim, who turns 40 on Monday, admitted he did not know the fate of the winger heading into the final week of the transfer window.
“Nobody knows, anything can happen,” he said when asked about Garnacho’s future. “He’s improving in every department of the game, his understanding of the game.
“I’m trying to find the best position for him. We need people who can go one-on-one, but I don’t know what will happen by the end of the window. “
Fulham failed to capitalize on their first half, where they created their best chances.
Manager Marco Silva said the defeat was unfair on a day when defender Joachim Andersen had his head effort cleared up late by Toby Collyer.
“The reality is we didn’t score and the second half was more even, our second half wasn’t as good as the first,” he said.
“It was a happy goal, a distraction and after we gave a reaction. They formed a low block of 10 players around the ball and we had a great chance from Joachim Andersen. The result is unfair. “
