Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has belatedly provided some more details to help explain why Marcus Rashford was frozen out at Old Trafford, claiming that he couldn’t convince the 27-year-old to buy into his preferred style of play.

Rashford scored 81 seconds into Amorim’s debut in the United dugout and ultimately amassed three goals in six appearances before he was dropped for the Manchester derby in mid-December.

Amorim never gave Rashford another minute of first-team football and only included him in one subsequent matchday squad before sanctioning his loan exit to Aston Villa.

The reasoning for this continued exile has always been vague, with Amorim even admitting that the team would benefit from a player boasting Rashford’s qualities during their current struggles. The Portuguese boss expanded on the issues he had with the England international this week.

“I couldn’t get Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim told assembled media.

“Sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different. I wish the best to Rashford and to [Villa manager] Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”

During his first interview as an Aston Villa player, Rashford hailed Emery as “a top manager”, adding: “What he’s done at the club since he’s come to Villa is unbelievable.”

The natural left winger has previously noted how he would have to “adapt” to Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system – which deploys two No10s rather than a forward in Rashford’s mould – and pointed to Villa’s favourable tactics at his unveiling. “I’ve had to choose somewhere where I feel my style of football is suited to,” he said, “and can help them and help me rediscover and improve as a player.”

Amorim explained that Rashford had not explicitly voiced his concerns with his style of play, but outlined: “It’s something that you feel as a coach and as a player. It’s quite normal. It happened with a lot of coaches.

“The important thing is that I’m here saying that was my decision, like Ty [Malacia] and Antony was my decision to do these loans, and to keep some players even without any transfers.”