Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned on head coach Michael Carrick after one of the most humiliating nights in the club's European history, a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como. The result led to Carrick being questioned about his future.
Carrick apologised to the 700 travelling fans, having ignored his beaten players after the final whistle to walk across the pitch and repeatedly hold his hands up, a gesture similar to the one Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made after a 4-1 defeat at Watford in November 2021, which led to his dismissal 24 hours later. Fernandes, widely regarded as a football obsessive who understands the tactical side as well as any player in the squad, then did more damage in comments to TNT Sports.
"It's a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, but sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confidence," he said. Asked whether Carrick got his tactics wrong, Fernandes replied: "That's on the manager and staff to see it, not me." Carrick responded curtly: "If you don't run, and you don't run forward, and you don't run back, you aren't going to win." He also refused to answer questions about his own future, saying: "I care about this football club as much as anyone, if not more."
United are 13th in the Premier League, three points clear of bottom club Sunderland, and have gone seven games without a win, their worst run since the spell under Louis van Gaal in 2015. Carrick had won 12 of his 17 games in charge last season to return the club to the Champions League, earning a two-year contract, but the new campaign has unravelled spectacularly.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing