Bruno Fernandes will remain Manchester United captain and will not face disciplinary action for criticising Michael Carrick after the club’s 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como.
The Portugal midfielder questioned Carrick’s tactics during post-match interviews and said it was the responsibility of the head coach and his staff, rather than the players, to identify problems and make changes.
Fernandes’ remarks were widely viewed as a challenge to Carrick’s authority, coming only eight days after United defender Lisandro Martinez criticised director of football Jason Wilcox and the club’s summer recruitment.
However, there is sympathy for Fernandes within Old Trafford over the circumstances in which he found himself. The captain completed 10 interviews after the match in Como, despite being substituted for Joshua Zirkzee midway through the second half.
Although there is disappointment over some of what Fernandes said, his frustration is understood given the nature of the defeat, which was one of the worst in Manchester United’s European history.
It is not yet known whether Fernandes will play against Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday. Carrick is due to face questions about the situation at his pre-match news conference at 13:30 BST on Friday.
Rooney criticises players’ attitude
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney said he was left in “shock” and “disbelief” by the performance against Como and described himself as being as “worried as I’ve been for a long time” about the club’s situation.
Rooney, who is a close personal friend of Carrick and understands why the manager is being questioned, also accused the players of being “selfish” and said “they’re like babies” following the public criticism from Martinez and Fernandes.
“When Martinez came out, I said this is an absolute nightmare because it will rip the dressing room apart,” Rooney told the United Stand podcast. “That was the start. We’ve seen it now with Bruno, and you’re going to see it with more players because they don’t want to take responsibility.
“You can say whether Bruno was right or wrong in what he said, but you have to take responsibility on the pitch. You have to take responsibility as a group of players.
“These players, they’re selfish. They don’t care about their teammates, don’t care about the manager, the staff or the fans; they care about themselves. If they’re not getting what’s right for them, they’re like babies and just throw their toys out of the pram and go and deflect the blame onto anyone else but themselves.”
Fernandes’ performances have fallen significantly from last season, when he was named both PFA and FWA Player of the Year and set a Premier League record for assists in a single campaign.
“He [Fernandes] is putting pressure on someone else because he doesn’t want to face it,” Rooney added.
“If he looks at himself in the mirror, if Martinez and all of them looked at themselves in the mirror, they’ll find what’s looking back at them is them, and that’s not good enough. They need to show more.”
Rooney has also urged the Manchester United board to clarify Carrick’s future. He believes the manager, who remains in charge for Sunday’s visit of Bournemouth, needs to “come out fighting” amid intense speculation that he is close to being dismissed after the club’s worst run of form since 2015-16.
“I was in that situation [at Plymouth and Birmingham City], and I can only say now, looking back and reflecting, if I was in Michael Carrick’s position now, I’d come out fighting,” Rooney said.
“There’s no more Mr Nice Guy. There are certain things you’ve got to do to protect them players, but you have to come out fighting for yourself because those players will drag you down and it’s going to be you who’s going to lose your job over it.”
