Lammens insists United dressing room backs Carrick despite Fernandes and Martinez unrest

Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens has publicly backed manager Michael Carrick, claiming the dressing room is fully behind him despite a turbulent week in which Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez both voiced frustration at the club following back-to-back defeats.

United have won just two of their 11 games in all competitions this season since returning to the Champions League, and the pressure on Carrick intensified after a 4-1 thrashing at Como was followed by a defeat to Atletico Madrid. Martinez used the fallout to criticise director of football Jason Wilcox, arguing the club failed to do enough business in the summer transfer window to adequately support Carrick’s squad for their European campaign.

Fernandes was more pointed in his criticism, directing his comments at Carrick and the coaching staff after the Como defeat. “It’s a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, but sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confidence,” the captain said. When pressed on whether the manager got his tactics wrong, Fernandes added: “That’s on the manager and staff to see it, not me. Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable.”

Carrick was subsequently asked whether he would strip Fernandes of the captaincy, but declined to give a definitive answer, saying only that he would do what he felt was right for the football club.

Speaking ahead of the weekend fixture against Bournemouth, Lammens sought to draw a line under the unrest. “For me personally, I think it [the dressing room] is [behind Carrick],” the Belgian goalkeeper said. “Of course, the people at home can’t see that, so we need to also try to look like that when we are on the pitch in the weekend, but I can assure you that we’re doing everything we can and we’re all together behind the coach, as a staff, players, front office.”

Lammens also reflected on the tactical difficulties that have contributed to United’s poor form, drawing a contrast with last season. “Last season I felt like, playing-wise, maybe we played sometimes better this season, but last season everything just clicked and went the right way for us,” he said. “We struggled as a team together when they pressed us, but we didn’t concede that many goals, and then I think as a counter team a bit more last season we did really well.”

The match against Bournemouth now takes on added significance, with Carrick needing a result to ease the mounting pressure and demonstrate that the squad’s stated unity can translate into points on the pitch.