Carragher says United players 'don't like playing' with Fernandes as Carrick drops him

Bruno Fernandes has been named among the substitutes for Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday, with manager Michael Carrick dropping the club’s PFA Player of the Year following a public outburst in which Fernandes questioned the manager’s tactical approach after Wednesday’s match.

The decision has drawn a pointed response from former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who argued that while Fernandes remains United’s best player, a number of his teammates will quietly welcome the chance to perform without him.

“There will be a lot of people who don’t actually like playing with Fernandes,” Carragher said. “He’s always throwing his arms up at people, he’s basically saying ‘you lot aren’t good enough to play with me’. We see that a lot from Fernandes.”

Carragher acknowledged the risk Carrick is taking by benching his most influential player, but said the manager had little choice. “Carrick had to make a stand,” he said. “You’re hoping that this brings the group together — confidence is low. They’ll need to start well, and actually enjoy playing football together. And if things aren’t going well, you get together, keep encouraging and push each other on.”

It is only the fifth time Fernandes has been named as a substitute since joining United from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020. Carrick has maintained publicly that the decision was made on footballing grounds rather than as a disciplinary measure.

The timing is notable. Lisandro Martinez also publicly criticised the Old Trafford hierarchy last weekend, yet the Argentine defender retained his starting place for the match at Leeds. Fernandes, by contrast, has been demoted after directing his criticism specifically at the manager’s tactics.

United will line up with a front three of Amad, Mason Mount and Bryan Mbeumo, with Fernandes joined on the bench by Matheus Cunha and Joshua Zirkzee.

Gary Neville also weighed in ahead of kick-off, noting the gravity of the situation: “The two most prominent players in the team — a World Cup winner and the PFA Player of the Year — coming out and hammering the ownership” underlines how fractured the atmosphere at the club has become.