Manchester United will have to punch their ticket to the Carabao Cup semifinals without Marcus Rashford.
Following a thrilling comeback victory against rivals Manchester City, the Red Devils are headed to London to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals. A victory over Spurs would see Manchester United join Arsenal, Newcastle United and Liverpool in the semifinals, bringing the club one step closer to hoisting its first trophy under Ruben Amorim.
For the second consecutive match, though, the Portuguese manager left Rashford out of his squad. The England international was dropped ahead of the Manchester derby as well, along with Alejandro Garnacho. Garnacho is back with the team for the midweek clash, but Rashford is not.
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The decision from Amorim comes after Rashford made headlines with cryptic statements about his future at the club. The 27-year-old spoke with Henry Winter and said, "For me, personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps.”
Prior to kick off, Amorim spoke about his decision and said, "I chose the players I felt was ready to cope with the demands of playing a strong game."
Amorim remained coy, but the timing of the last week's events paints an interesting picture regarding the manager's decision to drop Rashford. From the outside looking in, Rashford's time at Manchester United just might be coming to an end, or at least reaching a boiling point.
The winger got the nod in Amorim's debut against Ipswich Town and found the Red Devils' lone goal. Rashford went on to earn just two more starts in the following five matches and only found the back of the net (twice) against Everton.
Without Rashford in the squad, Amorim will have to rely on players like Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo to lead Manchester United's attack against Spurs. The two players were the heroes at the Etihad at the weekend and now will look to produce a similar performance in the Carabao Cup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Marcus Rashford Isn't Playing vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup.
