Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said he released Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho for the Manchester derby for “selection reasons” and not injury or illness.

When it was confirmed on Sunday afternoon that the strikers had been left out of the 20-man squad for the game against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, they caused a stir.

Rashford played 56 minutes in Thursday’s 2-1 Europa League comeback win against Viktoria Plzen, where Garnacho came on as an 81st-minute substitute.

But instead of playing against neighbors City in the Premier League on Sunday, the two instead trained at the team’s training ground on Sunday morning.

When United coach Amorim was asked to explain the decision to leave out Rashford and Garnacho, he told Sky Sports: “Selection.

“We try to evaluate everything – training, performance, game performance, engagement with teammates, pushing teammates forward.”

“Everything is at stake when we analyze and select the players, so it was my selection. Very easy.”

“I don’t want to send a message (to the locker room) with this. It’s just a review, and they know it.”

“The players are really, really smart and so everyone understands my decision and I have to make a decision. It’s just a simple choice.”

“Of course the context is difficult – we have to win games and we have a difficult situation now.”

“But like I said, I pay attention to everything – the way you eat, the way you put your clothes on to go to the game. Everything.”

“I do my assessment and then I have to decide. I have a lot of players to choose from and today I made my choice.”

A United source told the PA news agency that Garnacho’s absence had nothing to do with allegations of team leaks, but his absence, along with that of Rashford, raises more questions than answers.

“It’s always the same thing and everyone understands it,” Amorim said of how the couple found out.

“There is a message that after the last training they go to WhatsApp and then they receive the information. But they are fine, they had training this morning.”

“I was there because it’s important for every player… even Jonny Evans because Jonny Evans (training) and Toby (Collyer) were there too and everything was fine. They trained really well.”

Keane: Rashford’s omission is no surprise

Sky Sports’ Roy Keane said of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford’s omissions: “It’s a big decision.”

“He obviously saw something he didn’t like. But for those who have watched Manchester United recently, it’s not a big surprise because both players were bad. He said, ‘Enough is enough’.”

“It’s a big decision, but I like to see it – he has set a milestone. A change from Marcus (Rashford) would suit the player – a new challenge for him. He’s been there for a long time. If you’re there.” “A big club and the attitude isn’t right – and it hasn’t been great lately – sometimes it’s good to part ways.”

Micah Richards added: “It’s sad for a local boy in Rashford, who is supposed to be the talisman for this team… to see the way his career has developed over the last few years.”

“We saw he had a few good seasons and thought now is the time for him to become the leader and stop taking part in the derby. You can imagine he’s heartbroken.”

“There’s a player in there, but it can’t help that the coach keeps changing. It’s a sad story for a player of this quality.”