'I want to see' - Ruben Amorim reveals why he dropped Marcus Rashford again for Manchester United
Man Utd face AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League fixture on Sunday afternoon and here is the early team news.
Ruben Amorim has reiterated the decision to drop Marcus Rashford was 'his decision' after the Manchester United forward was omitted from the third successive matchday squad.
The head coach made six changes from the side that lost to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup in midweek, with Rashford once again excluded for the visit of Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.
Rashford was not included in the matchday squad against Man City a week ago, or against Spurs on Thursday night and has once again been left out due to 'selection' reasons. Amorim has reiterated there is no disciplinary matter concerning Rashford's recent omission from the matchday squad and that his absence is only due to performance issues amid a fierce competition for places.
Speaking ahead of the game, Amorim defended the decision to drop Rashford and reiterated it was his decision rather than any instruction from higher up at the club. "It is my decision, and it always will be," he told Sky Sports. "I want to see the best of my players, and I try different things with different players, so that is my focus."
Matthijs de Ligt is the other notable absentee through illness, while Joshua Zirkzee has been selected in attack ahead of striker Rasmus Hojlund. Amorim added: "Matthijs [de Ligt] is still sick and we saved Harry [Maguire] in midweek because he played his first full 90 minutes for a long time on Sunday. We have to be careful with this kind of player. Joshua [Zirkzee] did really well in the last game with fresh legs."