Manchester United's Portuguese midfielder #08 Bruno Fernandes (C) reacts to their defeat on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on October 25, 2026. Credit: AFP.
Sunday’s Premier League match against Bournemouth has made it eight games since Manchester United last recorded a win in all competitions.
The Red Devils have been in poor form recently, earning only three draws and five losses.
Head coach Michael Carrick was praised by some club supporters after the game, while the players were booed on their way to the tunnel after the team lost 3-0 to a scintillating Bournemouth side at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Cherries have won all of their last four games.
In the Europa League, they won 3-0 against Sturm Graz, before another 2-0 home win against Sunderland. Last Thursday, they defeated AC Milan 3-0 in their second Europa League game.
However, their 3-0 win at Old Trafford has consequently piled pressure on Carrick, whose side is yet to find their footing.
United last won a game on September 10 when they defeated Azerbaijan side Sabah FK in their Champions League encounter at home.
In the Premier League, United lost to derby rival Manchester City (1-0) and drew 1-1 against Fulham, Tottenham and Leeds.
United lost 3-2 to Brighton in the League Cup, and in the Champions League, they lost to Atletico Madrid (2-) and then to Como (4-1). And recently, they lost to Bournemouth by 3-0.
United played without captain Bruno Fernandes in today’s match. Carrick had left him out of the starting line-up and put him on the bench, but the manager later left him unused throughout the match.
This will be the first Premier League game of the season that Fernandes has started on the bench. He last started a game as a substitute on May 4, 2025, in a 4-3 defeat at Brentford.
Recall that last week, Fernandes was critical of his side’s tactics following their humiliating 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como.
Speaking to TNT Sports on Wednesday after the defeat, Fernandes questioned the decision not to press Como aggressively, suggesting that the approach allowed their opponents to grow in confidence and control the game.
“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 of the ball to these teams, they get confidence,” Fernandes said.
Asked why the 32-year-old Portuguese wasn’t in the starting line-up, Carrick told Sky Sports on Sunday that it was “pure football.”
“Picking the team is always a difficult decision. We’ve got to make what we feel is the right one for the team to try to get the performance we want,” he added.