Carrick backs Fernandes after fallout and admits he has no guarantee of keeping his job

Michael Carrick has publicly backed Bruno Fernandes and confirmed their rift is resolved, but admitted he has received no assurance that he will still be Manchester United manager next week as the club’s poor run of form continues.

Carrick had dropped his captain after Fernandes criticised his tactics following a 4-1 defeat to Como, and left him unused during a 3-0 loss to Bournemouth. The pair held talks last week, and Fernandes returned to the starting lineup at Chelsea before playing a key role in United’s comeback win over Roma — scoring the opening goal with a twice-taken penalty and assisting Matheus Cunha’s equaliser.

“I think by his actions, the way he’s played and how he dealt with even retaking the penalty and frame of mind he was in for that, I think that tells everything,” Carrick said. “Yeah, Bruno’s as good as ever.”

Carrick declined to reveal whether Fernandes had apologised, saying: “What’s actually said in that discussion, you’ll be pleased to know I’ll keep that to myself. But I think it’s pretty clear we’ve moved in a good direction, and Bruno’s commitment is undoubted for me of what he brings to this team and this club.”

The United manager also challenged Cunha to sustain the form he showed against Roma, where the Brazilian won a penalty and scored twice to double his tally for the season. “He has to repeat that performance,” Carrick said. “He was fantastic and that’s close to his best, and that’s the level where we want to see.”

Despite the win over Roma providing some relief, United have won just one of their last ten games across all competitions. When asked whether he had been told he would remain in charge next week, Carrick was blunt: “No, no.” He added that his plans were unchanged and he intended to “carry on as absolute normal.”