Manchester United’s stunning late 2-1 derby victory over Manchester City on Sunday raised spirits around Old Trafford, but the absence of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford somewhat soured the celebrations.

Ruben Amorim claimed a valuable bragging rights win over Pep Guardiola at the first time of asking as United silenced the Etihad and the Portuguese did so without two of his biggest stars.

Both Garnacho and Rashford were dropped from the matchday squad by Amorim in a ruthless move of authority by the newly-appointed United boss who is attempting to instil his own strict values at the club.

The 39-year-old was quick to underline that neither player was injured prior to the game, instead indicating that they are simply part of the competition for places.  

‘It is important to say why. It was not a disciplinary thing – next week, next game, new life,’ he explained. 

Alejandro Garnacho (left) and Marcus Rashford (right) were both dropped for Man United’s derby win over Man City

United boss Ruben Amorim dropped the pair after being unimpressed with them in training amid other reasons

Garnacho has been warned by the United boss that he must now fight to get back into his plans

‘They are fighting for the places but for me it’s important for me the performance in training, the performance in game, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with the team-mates, the way you push your team-mates.

‘Everything is important in our context in the beginning of changing a lot of things, when people in our club are losing their jobs, we have to put the standards really high. 

‘For that, they have to fight for the place in the team and today the team proved that we can leave anyone outside the squad. You can manage to win if we play together,’ said Amorim.

Beating United’s local rivals only boosted Amorim’s decision and now it’s up to the dropped duo to force their way back into the Portuguese’s plans ahead of a midweek cup clash against Spurs.

20-year-old Garnacho is the club’s top sorer this season with eight strikes in all competitions, while Rashford has improved on a dreadful previous campaign with seven goals this term.

Amorim claimed Sunday’s confidence-boosting win at the Etihad shows the team are capable of winning without Garnacho and Rashford, but the stats show United have a much higher chance of success when both feature in the same forward line.

Despite each attacker preferring to play on the left-wing, United have a 52.6 per cent win rate when both play alongside each other with Garnacho often shifted to the right-wing.

Similarly, United have managed an impressive 61 per cent win rate across 41 matches when just one of the duo play.

Rashford and Garnacho have a 52.6 per cent win rate when both play alongside each other

Rahsford has at times infuriated supporters with his lavish off-pitch exploits including a trip to New York in November

Amorim claims his United squad have shown they can win without Rashford and Garnacho

Rashford was hailed as a generational talent in Manchester when he broke onto the scene in 2015 during Louis van Gaal’s tortured reign at the club but has never reached the dazzling heights of his potential on a consistent basis.

When Rashford plays and Garnacho doesn’t, United win 64.3 per cent of their games when examined across 28 games.

Meanwhile, the win percentage drops to just 53.8 per cent in 13 games when only Garnacho features which has become a growing trend as the Argentine continues to edge out his older team-mate.

The highest win percentage is when neither star plays at 67 per cent, but that has only happened three times meaning it’s hard to draw an accurate assessment off so few games. 

When Rashford plays and Garnacho doesn’t, United win 64.3 per cent of their games when examined across 28 games

United supporters are willing to give Garnacho time to adjust to the demands of being one of the main faces at Old Trafford

However, it does show the start of a trend that highlights they are not irreplaceable in Amorim’s team.  

United supporters are willing to give Garnacho time to adjust to the demands of being one of the main faces at Old Trafford having only enjoyed his first full breakthrough campaign last season.

However, discontent is growing at Rashford’s continued discrepancies both on and off the pitch with some backing calls for the local star to be sold in the January transfer window.

Mail Sport previously revealed that the 27-year-old could be allowed to leave for a bargain £40m cut-price fee in January, while Garnacho is widely-regarded as an unsellable asset by the club’s INEOS-backed sporting department.