Michael Carrick has refused to guarantee that Bruno Fernandes will keep the Manchester United captaincy after the midfielder publicly questioned his tactical decisions. The head coach also dodged questions about the Portuguese star’s place in the starting line-up ahead of the crucial clash with Bournemouth.
Fallout from the Como defeat
Carrick has refused to guarantee that Fernandes will retain his starting spot or the United captaincy. He faced difficult questions ahead of Bournemouth’s visit to Old Trafford on Sunday. The uncertainty follows a heavy 4-1 defeat to Como, which sparked public frustration from the Portuguese midfielder.
Fernandes openly questioned the tactical setup in a post-match television interview. He revealed that Carrick and his coaching staff decided against pressing the Italian side man-for-man, and he suggested that this choice directly contributed to the heavy loss.
Carrick keeps the focus on the club
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Carrick was asked directly whether he would consider dropping Fernandes or stripping him of the armband. The United boss carefully sidestepped the question and instead emphasised his commitment to the wider squad.
“The most important thing for me is the team, first and foremost,” Carrick explained. “It’s the squad, it’s the dynamics in the squad. And again, it’s about the football club. And I’ll always do what’s best for the football club.”
He added: “I’m just saying I’ll always, whatever the situation is, I’ll always do what’s best for the football club. If I’ve spoken to him or haven’t spoken to him, I don’t think this is the time to go into too much detail.”
Denying divisions in the dressing room
The tension between the captain and the coaching staff is not an isolated incident. Fernandes is the second United player to publicly criticise club figures in recent weeks, following Lisandro Martinez, who aimed his frustration at director of football Jason Wilcox and the club’s board. These consecutive outbursts have prompted serious questions about a potential split in the Old Trafford dressing room. Carrick, however, firmly dismissed any suggestion of internal turmoil.
“It’s not divided, no, it’s not divided,” he insisted. “We just need to get back to doing what we do best, and we will. We need to move forward in the right direction for sure. We need to do things to enable us to do that. So, it’s pretty clear.”
Bouncing back against Bournemouth
United must now put the tactical disagreements behind them quickly as they prepare to host Bournemouth. The Sunday fixture at Old Trafford gives the club a crucial opportunity to respond to the disastrous result against Como.
Carrick is determined to steer the squad back on track amid growing external noise. He will aim to ensure that his players overcome their recent setbacks and deliver a solid, cohesive performance on the pitch.