Ruben Amorim willing to meet Marcus Rashford drift head on

As the newly appointed head coach of Manchester United, it's hard to imagine a better day than this.

Removing two of your team's top players, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, not only from the lineup but from the entire travel group, would undoubtedly attract attention and criticism. Ruben Amorim must have anticipated that this decision would bring about intense scrutiny.

With just two minutes left in the game at Manchester City, it looked like Amorim was headed for an uncomfortable discussion after the match.

However, one of the players who has embraced his presence has completely transformed both Amorim and United's night.

Amad Diallo drew the penalty that enabled Bruno Fernandes to score the equalizer. Shortly after, the Ivorian forward moved from his initial position as a wing-back into a more attacking role and netted an incredible winning goal in under two minutes.

"I believe that's true," Amorim responded when asked if he thought United had earned their first victory at Etihad Stadium since 2021.

"We performed really well. We had a strong sense of conviction. It felt different from the loss at Arsenal; during that match, I didn't sense the same level of belief. But today, I definitely did."

"Amad is doing really well at the moment. Erik [ten Hag] has promoted him to the first team, and Ruud [van Nistelrooy] has been instrumental in his development. We need to ensure we learn from our previous mistakes and not repeat them."

Amorim didn’t clarify what the earlier errors were, nor did he specify if they were linked to Amad or his entire team. There simply wasn’t enough time to delve into it.

During an eight-minute conversation with the press, the main topic of discussion focused on two players who weren't even present at the venue.

After United secured their victory, Rashford shared a photo on social media with the caption, "Yesssssssss! Love it, guys," along with a couple of heart emojis for added effect. Meanwhile, Garnacho chose not to comment.

Both players practiced at Carrington on Sunday morning, but neither was chosen for the match against City.

There was no shortage of speculation in Manchester regarding the reasons for their respective exclusions.

However, when he attempted to clarify the situation, Amorim emphasized several times that it was not a matter of discipline.

The deeper you examined his statements, the more difficult it became to avoid the realization that it ultimately came down to a lack of discipline, or at the very least, lowered expectations.

Amorim utilized the recent layoffs to emphasize that there will be repercussions if his requests are not fulfilled.

"With the upcoming week and new game, it feels like a fresh start," he remarked.

To me, it matters a lot how you do in practice, how you play during matches, your style of dress, your eating habits, how you interact with your teammates, and how you motivate them.

"Every aspect matters. Especially at the start of a new initiative, when we aim to make significant changes and some members of our clubs are facing job losses, it's crucial to set our expectations very high."

"Today, the team demonstrated that we can achieve victory even when we leave some players out of the lineup, as long as we work together."

Amorim pointed out the case of Jonny Evans to illustrate that when more of his team members are healthy, it won't be possible to include everyone, as the experienced defender experienced firsthand today.

However, it's evident that there is a notable distinction between Evans, who at 36 is experiencing a resurgence in his career at the club where he began, and the younger players, Rashford and Garnacho.

Rashford is among the top earners at United, while Garnacho stands out as one of their most promising young talents. Notably, both players favor playing on the wings, a position that is absent in Amorim's revamped squad.

While Amad has swiftly adjusted and thrived, it's clear that Rashford and Garnacho have struggled to do the same.

"It's a topic of conversation since he's clearly noticed some things that he finds unacceptable," former United captain Roy Keane shared with Sky Sports. "However, for us, it's not surprising at all because both players have been underperforming, and he's reached the limit of what he can tolerate."

"He’s making a bold statement. It’ll be interesting to see how others respond. We’ve discussed mindset for the past few years, and now a new manager will be taking note of everything happening."

For Rashford specifically, the challenge lies in previous difficulties he has faced.

Ten Hag benched him for a game against Wolves after he arrived late to a team meeting. In January, he was also left out by Ten Hag after it was discovered that Rashford had extended his stay on a trip to Belfast, which caused him to be late for training.

At 27, Rashford is at a crucial point in his career, yet there seems to be a sense of stagnation that Amorim seems ready to tackle directly.

Rashford's exclusion from the starting team was noted on Saturday when an accurate report of the United lineup surfaced on social media.

During Sir Alex Ferguson's era, if team information had been leaked, it would have prompted an internal inquiry, and there would have been repercussions for the person responsible if they had been found out.

Amorim is adopting a more laid-back attitude.

"It's not an ideal situation, but I believe it's beyond repair," Amorim remarked. "There are many individuals involved in the club, and the players communicate with their agents."

Alongside Rashford and Garnacho, there was another member of the United team who likely experienced a mix of joy and significant disappointment with the win.

Amorim has recognized Mason Mount, the England midfielder, as a player who could play a significant role in his team.

However, Mount has struggled with numerous injuries since his £55 million transfer from Chelsea a year and a half ago. By the time he faced City, he was only making his eighth Premier League appearance for United. Unfortunately, he lasted just 14 minutes before he "felt something" while attempting to control the ball.