Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has insisted Marcus Rashford's return to the matchday squad is testament to his repeated insistence that the door remains open for the striker.
After being left out of the last four amid a public admission of his desire for a “new challenge”, Rashford returned to the bench for Monday's meeting with Newcastle United.
His return coincides with a suspension for captain Bruno Fernandes, while United are also without the suspended Manuel Ugarte and the injured Mason Mount, and Amorim admitted his limited options contributed to the decision to recall Rashford.
“The selection and we have a lot of players out,” Amorim explained when asked why Rashford had returned. “As I said every week I pick the players for the opponent and he was available for selection. This time he is here.”
Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee are also back in action united starting line-up, with Amorim admitting he hopes to counter Newcastle's potent threat.
“In the beginning I made changes because of training and now it's to win the matches, I always try only to win the matches,” he explained. “The team is at the same level, so I try to use the characteristics for the opponent.”