The players Ruben Amorim is trusting most at Manchester United all have one thing in common

Ruben Amorim knew what sort of game he was in for and he knew what kind of Manchester United players he would pick as a result. He wants players who "run like mad dogs", and that trait would always be key on derby day.

It felt like this would be his most significant team selection to date, which proved accurate as much for who wasn't on the teamsheet as who was. On a day when United would need to run and run to have any chance of beating Manchester City, Amorim went with the players who deliver hard work.

Forgot about the quality for just a minute. Rasmus Hojlund is United's most hard-working No. 9. Amad and Mason Mount are two attacking midfielders whose energy and effort are unquestioned. Further back, Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes are a pair of pests who won't allow you a moment's peace, and at wing-back Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot will be up and down the pitch all day.

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This team might not have told us who Amorim rates most of all in this squad just yet, but it did tell us who he trusts. And it's no surprise he trusts the workhorses and the players most likely to resemble mad dogs on derby day.

The head coach has been coy about his reasons for not including Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho in his squad at the Etihad, but there is a message there for the rest of the squad. It could very easily be related to work rate because for all the quality they can both display, neither is renowned for having the kind of on-pitch attitude of Mount or Amad at the moment, or even Hojlund if Rashford was pushing to play No. 9.

In time, both will be