Gary Neville has challenged ‘moping’ Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho to “come back stronger” after their omission from the Manchester derby squad.

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim made the bold decision to leave both star wingers out entirely for the trip to Manchester City.

In the end, Amorim was vindicated as United staged a stunning comeback to win 2-1, inflicting City’s eighth defeat in 11 games.

However, the main topic post-match was the exclusion of Rashford and Garnacho, and Neville believes the decision was justified.

“I don’t know about their long-term future,” Neville told Sky Sports, “but it’s clear that [Amorim] mentioned engaging with teammates and maintaining standards. He’s giving us emphatic clues that they’ve been moping and not contributing in training.”

He added, “It’s about standards, and he thought, ‘No, I’m not having it.’ Good on him.”

Neville emphasized that players can’t afford to mope around and still expect to play. “If you don’t give your all, you’re out. That’s it.”

Rashford watched the match from home and has commented on Instagram, while Garnacho has remained silent about his exclusion.

Amorim has made it clear that standards must be met, and any player falling short will not be tolerated.

Yet, Neville believes being left out doesn’t mean the end for Rashford and Garnacho. “We’ve been saying for years that players need to give their all, but we’ve seen them fail to chase back. No more.”

He continued, “I want Rashford and Garnacho to come back stronger, take the message from training, and become the best players for Manchester United.”

Rashford appeared frustrated when substituted against Viktoria Plzen, missing out on United’s derby victory driven by Amad Diallo.

Neville insisted that every winger at United, whether it’s Kanchelskis, Giggs, Beckham, or Nani, must run forward and back at full speed. “They have the talent, but if they don’t work hard, there’s no place for them here.”

Fellow pundit Micah Richards suggested that Rashford is often treated as a ‘scapegoat’ at United, a view both Neville and Roy Keane disagreed with. They believe that as a top player earning around £325,000 a week, more is expected.

Keane noted that if he had been in Rashford’s position, the manager’s comments would be embarrassing. “If a manager hinted at your training standards and left you out of a derby, you’d feel ashamed.”

He continued, “Amorim is a smart manager with authority. Players at home must think, ‘Wow, I’m embarrassed by what he’s saying.'”

Amorim indicated that Rashford and Garnacho did not meet the necessary training standards.

Rashford celebrated Amad Diallo’s late winner against City from home, but all eyes will be on Thursday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at Tottenham. Another absence for either player would raise questions about their future.

Neither player is considered untouchable, as United seeks to generate funds for Amorim to reshape the squad.