by Ruben Amorim has said he would rather have the Manchester United goalkeeping coach in his team than Marcus Rashford after appearing to question the 27-year-old’s commitment to the cause.
Disgraced Rashford has not played for his hometown club since December 12 and appears to be firmly out in the cold under the Portuguese after once again missing the squad for their 1-0 win at Fulham.
United manager Amorim has gone so far as to say that 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital is more likely to get minutes than the England striker.
“It’s always the same reason (why Rashford doesn’t play),” Amorim said.
“The reason is training, what I think a footballer should do in training, in life and in everyday life. 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 every player.
“Today on the bench we lacked a bit of rhythm to change the game but I prefer it like this, I will put (in) Vital before putting (in) a player who does not give his best every day, so I’m not going to make any changes in this department.
However, Rashford took to social media later on Sunday evening to congratulate his teammates on their success in west London.
“Congratulations on the win, guys,” he posted on his Instagram Stories.
Lisandro Martinez’s 78th-minute winner helped United secure their second Premier League victory in three matches.
The defender, who set up skipper Bruno Fernandes for United’s winner in their 2-1 win over Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday, scored with a deflected long-range effort that flew past Cottagers goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
The win moved United into 12th place and Amorim continued: “It’s a good day for us, it wasn’t a great performance but we fought for the win.
“We had that bit of luck that you sometimes need to win, a clean sheet too, so let’s keep that feeling for the next game.
“We didn’t play very well with the ball but we gave the team time. We have smart players who can change the game in moments.
Alejandro Garnacho has continued to earn minutes despite reports that the winger is attracting interest from Chelsea.
Amorim, who turns 40 on Monday, admitted he did not know the winger’s fate heading into the final week of the transfer window.
“No one knows, anything can happen,” he said when asked about Garnacho’s future. “He’s improving in all departments of the game, his understanding of the game.
“I’m trying to find the best position for him. We need guys who can go one-on-one, but I don’t know what will happen before the end of the window.
Fulham were unable to take advantage of their first half, where they created the best chances.
Manager Marco Silva said the defeat was unfair on a day when defender Joachim Andersen saw his header blocked off the line by Toby Collyer late on.
“The reality is we didn’t score and the second half was more balanced, our second half wasn’t as good as the first,” he said.
“It was a lucky goal, a deflection and then there was a reaction from us. They placed a low block with 10 players around the ball and we had a great chance from Joachim Andersen. The result is unfair.
