Fernandes doubles down on Man Utd criticism: 'We focus too much on the past'

Bruno Fernandes has called on Manchester United to stop fixating on past glories, doubling down on his public criticism of head coach Michael Carrick in the wake of Wednesday’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como.

United were behind inside two minutes at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia and never recovered, leaving Carrick to apologise to the small contingent of travelling supporters at the final whistle. Fernandes then used his post-match interview to criticise the head coach’s tactical decisions — comments that drew a pointed rebuttal from Carrick, who said: “If you don’t run, and you don’t run forward, and you don’t run back, you aren’t going to win.”

The Portuguese captain’s initial remarks were condemned by several pundits, including Jamie Carragher, who labelled them “disgraceful”. But Fernandes refused to back down. “Everyone at the club has to understand that it’s not the same anymore, we’re not in the past anymore and we have to look to the future,” he said. “In this club we focus too much on what has been done in the past, but we are no longer those [players]. The club and the players need to understand that.”

Fernandes also acknowledged the weight of expectation that draws players to Old Trafford. “Those who come [to United] think about winning trophies, matches and reaching the highest level but unfortunately it has been very difficult in this club in recent years. That’s the situation.”

Carrick, asked to respond directly to his captain’s assessment, said he disagreed but conceded United’s current form is well short of the required standard. “When we arrived in January we scored more points than everyone else until the end of the championship, so this team showed that they could get good results over a long period of time,” he said. “But we have to do much better after this start to the season.”

The results back up Fernandes’ frustration. United have gone seven games without a win across all competitions, sit 20th in the Champions League standings after three fixtures, and are 13th in the Premier League — a bleak picture that makes the public rift between captain and head coach all the more damaging.