Ruben Amorim's birthday is the day after Jose Mourinho's and there was an uncanny imitation of his mentor on Sunday evening.

To essentially say he would rather play a 63-year-old goalkeeping coach over Manchester United's star player was a homage to Mourinho in lieu of singing 'Happy Birthday' on his predecessor's 62nd.

Portuguese people are traditionally blunt and Amorim used that word last week. Us journalists and United supporters appreciate his candour. He is by far the most authentic and assertive permanent United manager since Mourinho.

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Amorim is 40 today and United players have joked he will have to run the 'tunnel' in training. Ie. when players form two lines and playfully pat the recipient as they run through. Marcus Rashford may be tempted to slap, or beat, or hit Amorim.

A colleague complained a few weeks ago that Amorim was not dynamic in press conferences. In successive weeks, he has billed United as maybe the worst team in the club's history and suggested he would pick a sexagenarian ex-goalkeeper over Rashford.

Amorim's first words in the condensed Craven Cottage press room were, "First of all, I say things to you guys that I regret right away." He may have another to add to that growing list.

The vast majority of United's supporters in the Putney End will have approved. Amorim usually gives queries about Rashford short shrift but additional clarification on was overdue after he surfaced during the open training session at Carrington on Wednesday.

United were permitted to name up to 12 substitutes in the Europa League tie against Rangers. Amorim selected only nine and two were goalkeepers. There was no Rashford.

Rashford is out of the fold while United go around in circles with two strikers who should not be at the club. Rasmus Hojlund is goalless in 11 games and Joshua Zirkzee goalless in nine. Rashford has more league goals than both.

So why is Rashford still in exile? "The reason is the training, the way I see what a footballer should do in training, in life and it’s every day, every detail," Amorim explained. "So if things don’t change, I will not change.

"It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum, if you do the right things, we can use every player. And you can see it today on the bench, we miss a little bit of pace to go, to change the game, to move some pieces. But I prefer it like that.

"I will put [Jorge] Vital before I put a player who doesn’t give the maximum every day, so I will not change in that part."

An eager Rashford hurtled past the press and photographers to get on the training pitch on Wednesday. Some would say that was keeping up appearances.

Less than half-an-hour after Amorim's box-office quotes had gone viral, Rashford reactively posted a banal Instagram Story: "Congratulations on the win lads."

It was uploaded onto Rashford's account and one suspects his brother and agent, Dwaine Maynard, had his finger on the button. Again, keeping up appearances.

Rashford was visible during the Rangers tie in his hospitality box, seemingly not infiltrated by burly Glaswegians, in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand. Injured or omitted players tend to gather in the directors' box in the opposite stand to show their support for recent matches and Rashford has been absent from those groups.

He has let it be known he is still prepared to play for United. That is an avenue Rashford has to explore with no clear exit route a week before the transfer window closes.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe was seated in Craven Cottage's Riverside Stadium and is in deep water. His ticket price hike was ridiculed, he was repeatedly called a "c**t" by thousands of United fans and he was abused again when a handful of fans confronted him in his car.

Ratcliffe's approval ratings would plummet to new fathoms if United sell the wrong academy winger. United fans serenaded Alejandro Garnacho heartily during the Rangers win and they abhor the prospect of the club selling Garnacho and saddling Amorim with Rashford.

Amorim reiterated that "nobody knows" if Garnacho will leave. He has played in every match since he and Rashford were ordered to train at Carrington on the morning of the Manchester derby last month. Rashford has not played at all.

"With Garna, he’s improving in every department of the game," Amorim explained. "The way that he recovers, the understanding of the game when he defends.

"I’m trying to find the best position for him. Today, he played a little bit more open, not so much inside. We need guys with the one-vs-one. But, like I say, I don’t know what’s going to happen until the end of the window."

Amorim is talking up Garnacho every week in press conferences. He is washing his hands of Rashford, using the platform of press conferences to get his message across.

Mourinho still does that.