Ashley Young slams Fernandes' hooded arrival after Carrick drops him for Brighton

Ashley Young has publicly criticised Bruno Fernandes for his demeanour after being left out of Manchester United’s starting XI for Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Brighton at Old Trafford, arguing the Portuguese midfielder’s body language fell short of the standards expected of a United captain.

Fernandes arrived at the ground with his hood pulled up, a gesture that drew widespread attention and came days after the skipper appeared to question interim manager Michael Carrick’s tactics following United’s 4-1 defeat to Como. Carrick named Fernandes among the substitutes alongside Matheus Cunha, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, handing starts to Amad, Ayden Heaven, Carlos Baleba and Leny Yoro instead.

“Do you know what you want, as well? Okay, you’ve been dropped as a player — it happens,” former United winger Young said. “He’s got his hood up, he’s walking in, he’s showing the fans, look, I’m still upset. But that’s not the reaction you want from a captain of Manchester United.”

Young argued that Fernandes should have channelled his frustration differently. “You want to see him go, okay, right, I’ve been dropped, I know what I’ve done wrong. I’m going to walk in, and when I get the opportunity to come on the pitch, I’m going to show what I’m actually about. That’s not what you want to see.”

Carrick, speaking before kick-off, was firm in insisting the decision was made purely on footballing grounds. “Picking the team, the starting XI, you’ve got options to choose from; it is always a difficult decision,” he said. “We’ve got to make what we feel is the right one for today, for the team, to try to get that performance that we want.”

When pressed on whether Fernandes’ midweek comments had influenced the selection, Carrick was unequivocal: “Pure football, pure football.”

Lisandro Martinez, who also directed criticism at the club’s hierarchy in a post-match interview following the Como defeat, was similarly named among the substitutes, with Carrick indicating the Argentine was not yet fully fit.