Bruno Fernandes and Michael Carrick have reportedly held clear-the-air talks at Carrington, and Manchester United’s captain is back in contention to face Chelsea on Saturday after sitting out the 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth.
Fernandes was an unused substitute at Old Trafford on Sunday, having questioned Carrick’s tactics in the wake of the 4-1 Champions League loss at Como. Carrick, 45, described the omission as a “pure football” decision, then watched his side concede three times without reply.
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The two men met at the training ground earlier this week. Sky Sports News reported that the discussion was open and frank and that Carrick is satisfied the animosity between them is over, although it is not known whether Fernandes apologised for airing his criticism publicly.
Carrick said after the Bournemouth defeat:
“Picking the team is always a difficult decision. We’ve got to make what we feel is the right one for the team to try to get the performance we want.”
The former England international will take charge at Stamford Bridge on Saturday despite widespread expectation he would be sacked, with Manchester United 16th in the Premier League, a point above the bottom three and winless in eight matches in all competitions.
The club’s board decided he deserved the chance to turn results around. talkSPORT understands Fernandes is expected to start at Stamford Bridge. His omission at the weekend followed Lisandro Martinez’s criticism of the club’s hierarchy after the 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid on 13 October, the second player interview in a fortnight to cause friction, and came as Kobbie Mainoo returned to training after two weeks out with an injury.
Bruno Fernandes’ numbers for Manchester United this season
Fernandes has three goals and one assist from seven Premier League appearances, with all of that output crammed into August. The hat-trick against Ipswich on 30 August and the assist for Bryan Mbeumo in the same game are his only league contributions; that win remains Manchester United’s sole league victory this season.
His one other goal came against Sabah in the UEFA Champions League on 10 September, and he has since gone seven matches in all competitions without scoring or assisting.
Last season looks distant now. He was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year after scoring nine goals and providing 22 assists, a haul that included a record 21 in the Premier League, as United finished third and returned to the Champions League.
Edited by Vignesh Raja
