Carrick backs Fernandes to rediscover best form but warns no United player is undroppable

Michael Carrick has backed Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes to recapture the form that earned him a hat-trick of individual awards last season, while issuing a firm reminder that no player in his squad is assured of a place in the team.

Fernandes, who turned 32 last month, has struggled for consistency this season. His three goals and two assists have come exclusively in home games against Ipswich and Sabah, and his dip in output has coincided with a broader slump in United’s performances. The Portuguese midfielder also registered a record-breaking 21 Premier League assists last season, making the contrast all the more stark.

“I think it’s pretty obvious to say that he can,” Carrick said when asked whether Fernandes could return to that level. “He’s a top player, Bruno, and sometimes things don’t quite go for you, and sometimes you have a spell of that. He’s done some incredible things for this football club and he will do the same in the future — there’s no doubt about that.”

Carrick also dismissed concerns over Fernandes’s fitness, though he acknowledged the captain had looked short of full sharpness in recent appearances. More pointedly, the United head coach used the question as an opportunity to set a broader standard across his squad.

“Nobody’s guaranteed a place in the team,” he said. “Don’t take that as oh, so that’s on Bruno — I don’t mean that, that’s just in general. There’s a level of performance, there’s a level of behaviour, there’s a level of understanding that we need as a group and as a squad and as a team to perform. All the boys know that.”

Elsewhere, Carrick offered an encouraging early assessment of £70 million midfielder Carlos Baleba, who came off the bench against Tottenham to make his long-awaited debut at Old Trafford.

“Really encouraged,” Carrick said. “We know what Carlos can bring. We’ve got really good options in midfield, and with Carlos now with us, that brings different options, variations, and flexibility. I was really happy with how he came on the other day — that gave him a really good step, feeling Old Trafford, getting that first one under his belt.”

Baleba could be in line for a start in United’s upcoming fixture in Madrid, with Carrick suggesting the Cameroonian’s arrival adds meaningful depth and tactical flexibility to his midfield options.