Gary Neville was shocked by Marcus Rashford being left out of the Manchester United squad and has delivered his verdict on the forward’s future.

Ruben Amorim notably left Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out of the matchday squad for United’s dramatic derby day win on Sunday. Rashford has since spoken about potentially leaving Old Trafford, saying: “For me, personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps.”

Ahead of the club’s Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, Amorim insisted he would like to keep Rashford in his bid to create a successful United team. But Neville was surprised that the new head coach chose to drop the 27-year-old so soon into his reign.

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“I think that it’s been coming with Rashford and Garnacho. Not necessarily to the point where I thought they would be left out of the squad, I never thought that would happen,” Neville said on the It’s Called Soccer! podcast. “But it must be getting to a pretty low point for a new manager, who’s only four weeks in, to get to a point where he’s left those two out.

“I said on Sunday after the game, if you asked me at the start of the season, ‘who are Manchester United’s best attacking players?’ I’d have said Garnacho and Rashford. They’re not even [in the matchday squad]. I’m sure they’ll come back in this week.

“I always like to think there’s a way back,” he added ahead of the Spurs showdown. “Players that I played with, that, to be fair, had a lot better form and a lot better careers, were left out in the stands at times. Famous players, who were quite openly thrown into the stands and it was big news, and there was a lot made of it.

“So it’s not the first time this has happened at a football club, where a player has been discarded. However, Manchester United are looking for a cultural reset.

“[Rashford and Garnacho] are going to have to respond to what will have been a big setback for themselves and they’re going to have to respond well because I do think they’re in last chance saloon.”

In his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Amorim was asked about Rashford’s situation. The manager explained that he hadn't spoken to the England international but believed that Rashford should remain at the club beyond the January transfer window, where he could either be sold or even loaned out.

“I just want to win and to help the team be better. We are better with Marcus Rashford, that is simple and we will try different things to push Marcus to the best levels he showed in the past, and that’s all,” Amorim said.

"Of course (I would be happy to keep him), because this kind of club needs big talent and he’s a big talent. So he just needs to perform at the highest level and that is my focus. I just want to help Marcus."

However, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher disagrees with the manager’s assessment. Featuring on the It’s Called Soccer! podcast alongside Neville, the Liverpool legend argued that he wouldn’t name Rashford in United’s strongest team.

“I think the decision for Amorim was actually very easy,” Carragher said. “I think it’s one of them, where it makes him look really powerful, really strong. He sends a message, but he’s not actually losing anything in the team.

“I’m not sure Rashford improves the team, certainly the current setup, the system. I think, in some ways, it was almost like an open goal or an easy win for the manager.

“He’s not that good,” Carragher added. “He’s a good player, he’s been a good player for Manchester United. He hasn’t been for about 18 months, and I don’t think Rashford playing in that game… I don’t think Manchester United are missing anything.

"He’s the biggest name because he’s the one we talk about a lot; he’s the one on the highest wages, maybe, but I think it was an easy win for the manager. I don’t think I’d be looking at that thinking, ‘he’s cut his nose off to spite his face here by leaving Marcus Rashford.’ I wouldn’t put him in Manchester United’s starting XI."