Carrick holds clear-the-air talks with Fernandes after United's 3-0 Bournemouth collapse

Michael Carrick held clear-the-air talks with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes on Tuesday, drawing a line under a week of visible tension between the two men that culminated in a 3-0 Premier League defeat to Bournemouth.

Fernandes lost his starting place for that game after questioning Carrick’s tactical decisions in the wake of United’s Champions League defeat to Como in Italy. During a post-match interview, Fernandes said the coaching staff had chosen “not to press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind,” and when asked directly whether Carrick had got his tactics wrong, replied: “That’s on the manager and staff to see it, not me.”

Carrick responded publicly at his post-Como press conference before dropping Fernandes to the bench at Bournemouth — the first time the Portuguese midfielder had been outright dropped since Carrick himself left him out against Villarreal in November 2021, during his caretaker spell following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal.

The situation was further complicated by events off the pitch. Fernandes’ family home was burgled while United were playing in Italy, and the club has provided support to the midfielder and his family during what has been described as a difficult week on multiple fronts.

When the squad returned for training on Tuesday, Carrick and Fernandes sat down to address the fallout directly. The matter is now considered closed by Carrick, and club figures have noted that Fernandes has returned to his “best version” over the last 48 hours.

United’s board had weighed up Carrick’s future in the immediate aftermath of the Bournemouth loss before deciding to give him more time. The tension between manager and captain had been underscored when Fernandes was substituted in the 66th minute against Como and shook his head as he walked around the pitch — with Carrick not acknowledging him as he returned to the bench. Fernandes’ Instagram account subsequently liked a post reading: “Never push a loyal person to the point where they no longer care.”