Bruno Fernandes says Manchester United’s players were not trying to “save anyone’s job” with their 3-2 Champions League comeback win over Roma.
United overturned a 2-0 deficit at Old Trafford to end a nine-game winless run, producing a second-half fightback that eased some of the pressure on manager Michael Carrick.
The match was Fernandes’ first media appearance since he was left on the bench after publicly criticising Carrick’s tactics following United’s 4-1 defeat by Como.
The 32-year-old returned to the starting line-up for the Premier League loss to Chelsea, and his penalty in the 58th minute began United’s remarkable revival against Roma.
Asked by Amazon Prime whether the result would save Carrick’s job, captain Fernandes replied: “We don’t need to save anyone’s job.”
He added: “The club needed that win, the players needed that win. We have been working so hard to get out of this situation all together.
“It’s been tough, there’s been a lot of speculation in the media. A lot of lies around many things that have happened between me and the manager, that we have cleared the air, then after that the manager took the decision to put me on the bench because I’m not performing.
“Everyone thought that was a punishment for the words that I had. If it was, it was right. The manager is the one who makes the decisions.
“It doesn’t change the belief I have of the manager and the staff and every player in this club. It doesn’t change my aim to win every game that I have ahead of me.”
Fernandes was an unused substitute for the 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth after his comments in Como. Reports subsequently claimed he and Carrick held clear-the-air talks before the midfielder was restored against Chelsea.
Former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel defended Fernandes and questioned the accuracy of reports surrounding the situation.
“In Bruno Fernandes’ defence, I’ve been in football a long time and what’s reported in the media is a fraction of the truth usually,” Schmeichel said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“The number of times I saw something written about the clubs I was playing in that couldn’t be further from the truth was absolutely staggering.
“I hope for Manchester United and Michael Carrick they can draw a line under all this public stuff and they can get back to winning games like they did today.”
Tielemans: ‘That’s how we repay Carrick’
Carrick guided United back into the Champions League last season after a two-year absence, winning 12 of his 17 matches in charge before being handed a two-year contract.
United’s form has deteriorated quickly this campaign, however, with only one win from their opening nine Premier League matches leaving them 17th in the table.
Carrick was widely expected to lose his job after the Bournemouth defeat, but United’s board decided the 45-year-old should be given the chance to change the team’s fortunes at Old Trafford.
“There has been a lot of pressure on him and that’s how we repay him, with a comeback like this, big character, big fight,” Youri Tielemans told Amazon Prime after the win over Roma.
The victory was United’s second in four Champions League matches this season and moved them to 17th in the league phase table.
Asked whether the result would secure Carrick’s position, Tielemans said: “That’s a different question. The only thing we can do is stick behind him, fight for him and fight for the club.”
Kobbie Mainoo described ending the winless run as a “relief”.
“A big sigh of relief, we’ve needed this win for a while and hopefully we can carry it on,” he told Amazon Prime.
