Amorim gave clear 'clues' for dropping Rashford, says Gary Neville

Gary Neville backed Ruben Amorim's decision to drop Marcus Rashford claiming the forward has been "moping around".

The former player said that Amorim made the right decision to leave him out of the derby clash as he was not at the right level.

Rashford, once a fan favorite, was a surprise omission from the matchday squad that stunned City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

Amorim, in a thinly veiled dig at the England international, cited "training performance, game performances and engagement with teammates" as the reasons behind Rashford's exclusion.

"He's mentioned engaging with team-mates," Neville said on Sky Sports. "He's mentioned standards. So, he's given us clues as to what's happened over the last few days that they've been moping.

"Not doing their bit around the training ground, engaging with their teammates properly, standards in training.

"And he's gone 'no, I'm not having it, I'm not accepting it.' And good on him because for far too long we've seen players mope around that pitch and still continue to get a game.

"'Oh he's on the bench' No. It's got to be non-negotiable. If you don't give your all in your job, you're gone."

Amorim himself later elaborated on his decision, stating: "There are some things that have to change. But it is a new life, it's not a disciplinary thing.

"If it was disciplinary, I would say that here and it will be a bigger problem, but it wasn't that. I want to improve my players and you understand that for so long we tried, for example, with Rash.

"It does not work. Let's continue to do the same thing or try something different? So it's as simple as that.

"We have to improve our standards outside the pitch. If they train well and they are better than the other guys inside and outside the pitch, they will play or be on the bench."

Rashford, despite his omission, took to social media to congratulate his teammates on their impressive victory, posting an image of the celebrations with the caption: "Yesssssss! Love it lads."

The incident has sent shockwaves through the club, with questions now being raised about Rashford's long-term future at Old Trafford.

The 27-year-old, once a key figure for the club, has struggled for consistency this season and faces an uncertain future under Amorim's new regime.

This bold decision from the Portuguese manager sends a clear message to the squad: standards have been raised at United, and complacency will not be tolerated.