Carrick backs injured Fernandes to rediscover form quickly after frustrating United start

Michael Carrick has backed Bruno Fernandes to rediscover his best form “pretty quickly”, while acknowledging that Manchester United’s captain has endured a frustrating start to the season and is continuing to play through an injury.

Fernandes started on the right side of United’s attack against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League but struggled to make an impact and was substituted in the 80th minute. Although the Portuguese midfielder scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Ipswich in August, he has not consistently reproduced the form that made him one of the Premier League’s standout players last season.

Carrick, speaking at a press conference, was candid about the mood surrounding Fernandes and the squad as a whole. “I think there’s no denying there’s been a bit of frustration and disappointment with certain things at the start of the season, with results or goals,” he said. “That’s not solely or anything towards just Bruno. That’s all of us.”

The former United midfielder was keen to push back against any sense of inevitability around a difficult spell. “That cycle, if you like, or that downturn, or that expectation of ‘here we go again’ doesn’t exist, cannot exist in our changing room at this football club,” Carrick said. “We need to think about what’s possible.”

Carrick also stressed that the burden of United’s performances should not rest on any single individual, pointing to the need for collective responsibility across the squad, staff, and supporters. “It’s not an individual thing. This is not when it’s all good, it’s not always just Bruno. When it’s certainly if it’s not so good, it’s not all Bruno,” he said.

Despite the dip in output, Carrick remained firmly supportive of the club captain. “He has a big impact on our group, a big impact on the squad. He’s a fantastic footballer. And just because he may not be hitting the headlines or the highlights like he did last year doesn’t mean that he can’t, and that he won’t, and I’m sure he’ll do that pretty quickly.”

Carrick also confirmed that Fernandes’ substitution against Atlético was not directly caused by his knock, but acknowledged the injury remains an ongoing concern for the player.