Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has insisted that his decision to leave captain Bruno Fernandes on the bench for Sunday’s clash against Bournemouth was based purely on footballing considerations, dismissing suggestions that it was linked to the midfielder’s criticism of his tactics.
Fernandes had questioned United’s defensive approach following their 4-1 defeat to Como in Italy on Wednesday, where the Champions League debutants exposed the English side’s passive play without the ball.
Carrick, however, maintained that his selection was aimed at improving the team’s performance as United seek to end a run of seven matches without a victory in all competitions.
“When you have options it’s always a difficult decision. We have to make the right one for today and the team to get that performance we want,” added Carrick as he dismissed the decision was taken as a response to Fernandes’s outburst.
United entered the day 15th in the league standings, having collected just seven points from their opening seven matches, leaving Carrick under pressure to deliver a positive result at Old Trafford.
Fernandes enjoyed an outstanding campaign last season, claiming all the individual awards available to him after setting a Premier League record with 21 assists as United finished third.
However, the 32-year-old has struggled to replicate that influence this season, with his hat-trick against Ipswich in August standing out as one of his few notable contributions.
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Carrick made four changes to his starting lineup, with Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui dropping to the bench. Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro, Carlos Baleba and Amad Diallo were brought into the side.
The dispute over United’s performances follows recent criticism from defender Lisandro Martinez, who questioned the club’s board over its failure to adequately strengthen Carrick’s squad during the transfer window.
Martinez was not punished through team selection for his comments but was substituted at half-time during last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Leeds after suffering an injury. He was fit enough to return to the bench for the Bournemouth encounter.
Meanwhile, former United striker Wayne Rooney criticised the players for failing to take responsibility for the club’s poor performances, arguing that disagreements over tactics should not distract from their duties on the pitch.
“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,” said United’s all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney.
He added: “These players, they’re selfish. They don’t care about their team-mates, 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 on to anyone else but themselves.”