Bruno Fernandes’s house was burgled on Wednesday night after the Manchester United captain played in the 4-1 defeat by Como.
Police have launched an investigated after three intruders broke into his Cheshire home about 8.30pm, shortly after the end of United’s Champions League match at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
In a statement, Det Insp Dave Jarvis of Cheshire Police said there was “no trace of the suspects” when officers arrived on the scene.
However, he confirmed that “a number of items had been stolen” and that an investigation was under way. The Sun reported that designer jewellery and other expensive items had been taken.
Police said a neighbour had raised the alarm after reports of “suspicious activity” from three “unknown men”.
United sources said that neither Fernandes nor his family were in the house at the time and that the intruders were inside for less than five minutes before police arrived.
Insiders said the club were offering support to Fernandes and were requesting privacy for him and his family at a “difficult moment”.
The news comes 24 hours after Fernandes appeared to call out Michael Carrick’s tactics in the wake of the hammering by Como.
It is understood that Fernandes will not be disciplined over his remarks and will remain as captain for Sunday’s crucial game with Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
There is some unhappiness and disappointment internally at United about some of his remarks, as well as recognition that Fernandes was frustrated in the moment.
And the situation is being viewed very differently to Lisandro Martínez’s outburst last week when the Argentina defender was fined and publicly apologised after criticising Jason Wilcox, the director of football, and the Old Trafford board. Fernandes’ comments to TNT Sports were one of 10 post-match interviews the Portuguese conducted after the game.
United’s set-up under Carrick was not the only thing Fernandes criticised. He also said United were living in the past. He has demanded the club’s executives and his team-mates wake up to that reality.
Speaking to Sky Italia, the Portugal midfielder said: “At this club, there’s too much focus on what’s been done in the past, but we’re not those people anymore.
“The club and the players need to understand that.
“Unfortunately for us – especially when it comes to the players – those who join expect to win trophies, win games, and reach the highest level, but unfortunately, that’s been very difficult at this club in recent years. That’s the situation.”
Fernandes’ outburst at Carrick has resurrected a debate around the midfielder’s suitability as United captain.
Fernandes was dragged off in the 67th minute by Carrick after a dismal showing in what has been a poor campaign so far from last season’s PFA player of the year.
It was the second successive Champions League match in which Fernandes had been taken off.
Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool and England defender and now Telegraph Sport columnist, was scathing about Fernandes’s attitude and suggested he should look closer to home after likening his tactical discipline to that of a “school kid”.
“He’s reacted like that because he’s been embarrassed by the manager [who] brought him off,” Carragher said on CBS Sports.
“And when he talks about pressing, whether it’s man-to-man or zonal, for years Bruno Fernandes has meant Manchester United can’t press because he does things for the crowd.
“He runs all over the place like a kid in the school yard for the supporters. They all think he’s working hard. He’s not. He’s killing the rest of the team doing it.
“Watching him throw his arms up every week in a game is an absolute disgrace [and] calling the manager out considering how he’s performed this season on the pitch.
“[It’s an] awful attitude and not what a Manchester United captain should be.”
Cesc Fàbregas, the Como coach, had compounded United’s misery by revealing he had told his players to ease off later in the game.
The Italian side were already 4-0 when he instructed them to slow down, a move he said he regretted after Joshua Zirkzee scored late on for United.
“I regret maybe the last 10 minutes when I was the one telling the team to slow down the pace because there was another game and maybe with a 4-0 lead they could have managed something,” the former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder said.
“I told Tasos Douvikas not to run anymore, to stay in the middle and maybe that is what I regret, because I’m the first one who always pushes the fight until the end. That [Zirkzee] goal hurt me.”
Telegraph Media Group Limited 2026