'I know it is strange' - Ruben Amorim explains why another Manchester United star missed Man City win

Ruben Amorim says Jonny Evans was unfortunate to miss out on a place in the Manchester United squad for their comeback derby victory over Man City.

United struck twice in the dying moments of the match at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, as Amorim defeated Pep Guardiola for the second time already this season and piled more pressure onto the City boss. Much of the post-match discussion revolved around the shock decision to drop both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the match day squad entirely, a gamble that was vindicated by United's dramatic derby victory.

The attacking duo weren't the only players to miss out from the squad though, with veteran defender Jonny Evans also absent after he returned to training earlier in the week. Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez started in central defence, while Leny Yoro and Victor Lindelof both featured from the bench in the second-half.

Asked if Garnacho and Rashford were out of the squad for the same reason, the United head coach told reporters: "It is the same. It is the same with Evans. We have to choose, then we see how many players we have in our squad, in this position, managing the substitutions. Then the small details make a difference. I know it is strange, but it is just that."

Amorim was eager to reiterate the decision to drop his two star forwards was not down to a disciplinary issue and insisted they both have the chance of being included in the matchday squad against Tottenham later in the week, though this was a stark warning any player can be dropped if they are not hitting the standards required of them.

“When people in the club are losing their jobs, we have to push our standards really high," Amorim added. “Next week, next game, new life, they are fighting for their places but for me it’s important, the performance in training, the performance in game, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with teammates, the way you push your teammates, everything is important when we want to change a lot of things. They have to fight for a place in the team and today the team proved we can leave anyone out of the squad and manage to win if you play together.”