Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says he dropped Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho for the Manchester derby due to “selection” reasons rather than injury or illness.

Eyebrows were raised on Sunday afternoon when it was confirmed that the forwards had been omitted from the 20-man matchday squad facing Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

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

But rather than feature against neighbours City in the Premier League on Sunday, the pair instead trained at the team’s training ground on Sunday morning.

Asked to explain the decision to omit Rashford and Garnacho, United boss Amorim told Sky Sports: “Selection.

“We try to evaluate everything – training, performance, game performance, engagement with the teammates, push the teammates up.

“Everything is on the line when we analyse and try to choose the players, so it was my selection. Simple.

“I don’t want to send a message (to the dressing room with this). It’s simply an evaluation, and they know it.

“The players are really, really smart and so everybody understands my decision and I have to choose. It’s just a simple selection.

“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 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 (from) and today I did my choice.”

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

“It’s the same all the time and they all understand,” Amorim said of how the pair found out.

“There’s a communication that after the last training is going to the WhatsApp, and then they receive the information. But they are alright, they had training this morning.

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