Carrick refuses to confirm Fernandes apology but says pair have moved in 'good direction'

Michael Carrick has refused to confirm whether Bruno Fernandes apologised for publicly questioning his tactical decisions, but the Manchester United manager said it is “pretty clear” the pair have resolved their differences ahead of Saturday’s home fixture against Aston Villa.

The dispute began after United’s Champions League match against Como, when Fernandes openly criticised Carrick’s approach. The Portuguese captain was subsequently dropped to the bench for the Premier League game against Bournemouth at Old Trafford, where he remained an unused substitute. Carrick later held clear-the-air talks with Fernandes at United’s Carrington training ground before recalling him to the starting lineup against Chelsea.

Asked directly at his pre-match press conference whether Fernandes had apologised, Carrick chose to keep the details private. “There are always conversations, bits going on,” he said. “What’s actually said in that discussion, you’ll be pleased to know I’ll keep that to myself, but it’s… I think it’s pretty clear we’ve moved in a good direction, and Bruno’s commitment is undoubted for me in terms of what he brings to this team and this club, and I think he showed that again this week.”

Fernandes was named man of the match in United’s midweek win over Roma, a performance that included retaking and converting a penalty — a moment Carrick pointed to as evidence of the 30-year-old’s mental resilience. “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 added. “Bruno’s as good as ever.”

The Villa match presents United with the opportunity to record back-to-back league wins for the first time this season. Carrick said he was genuinely looking forward to the game and hoped the positive mood generated by the Roma result would carry into the weekend. “Playing at home on the back of the other night, the supporters hopefully looking forward to coming and energised and feeling good about what they might see — and we’ve got to repay that,” he said.