Marcus Rashford dropped from Man United squad for derby

Marcus Rashford has been omitted from the Manchester United squad to face Manchester City on Sunday.

The England forward started the 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday but was substituted early in the second half.

He did not make the trip to the Etihad after being left out of the matchday squad.

Alejandro Garnacho has also been excluded from the group for the Manchester derby. Sources told ESPN that the decision was head coach Ruben Amorim's and that neither player is dealing with a fitness issue, and the Portuguese coach confirmed his motivations in an interview with Sky Sports before the game.

"I don't want to send a message. It's simply an evaluation, and they know it," he said. "The players are really, really smart. Everybody understands my decision. I have to choose. It's just simple selection.

"The context is difficult. We have to win games and we have a difficult situation. I pay attention to everything, the way you eat, the way you put on your clothes to go the game. Everything. I make my evaluation and then I have to decide. I have a lot of players to choose.

"It's the same all the time. There's a communication after the last training which goes to the WhatsApp. They receive the information. But they are alright. They had training this morning, I was there. Everything was OK. They trained really well."

Rashford has scored three goals under new head coach Amorim. He was named on the bench for the last two Premier League games against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, both of which ended in defeat.

Rashford has a good record against City, scoring six goals in 22 games. He scored at the Etihad last season as United lost 3-1 to Pep Guardiola's side.