‘I can’t speak, I’m not allowed,’ Bruno Fernandes told reporters as he stomped out of Elland Road on Sunday after another lifeless display against Leeds United.
Four days later, fears of repercussions were gone as the club captain publicly turned on Michael Carrick in the aftermath of the humiliating Champions League defeat to Como.
It was another shuddering blow to a season that has already unravelled. Fernandes’ comments came one week after Lisandro Martinez eviscerated United’s shot callers with director of football Jason Wilcox targeted. While accused of lacking respect, the Argentine’s comments resonated with a frustrated fanbase even if his own performances this season have been part of the problem.
Fernandes’ comments struck a different chord. Brutally questioning Carrick’s tactics in front of the cameras was a betrayal, creating a problem that cannot be solved with an apology, as Martinez did following his outburst.
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Martinez aimed his ire at the club’s hierarchy but still backed his manager amid the chaos. Fernandes chose to blast him with more, inflicting the sort of damage that could leave their relationship in tatters.
It rarely ends well in these stand-offs, and it will raise serious questions over whether Fernandes can be involved when United host Bournemouth this weekend.
It is no secret United started the season woefully unprepared. That is on Carrick and his staff and there is a growing pile of evidence suggesting he is not the man for the job. But that does not let Fernandes off the hook.
Carrick’s curt response to his captain’s comments last night was telling. ‘Whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don’t run, and you don’t run forward, and you don’t run back, you ain’t going to win.’
It was abundantly clear on Wednesday night in Como that something has been lost between the players and the manager in how his orders are to be carried out. It should be on the skipper to ensure that doesn’t happen.
United have tried to implement a high press under various coaches and it has never worked on a consistent basis. Players go at it haplessly alone rather than as a unit, leaving huge gaps in behind with Fernandes largely epitomising that on Wednesday as he chased shadows in the rain.
Compared to the heights of his wonderful 2025-26 campaign that saw him crowned player of the year, this season has been a disaster. There has been an injury which Carrick has acknowledged but barring his 28-minute hat-trick against Ipswich in August, he has been desperately short of his usual level.
The Portugal international has been the beating heart of United since his arrival in 2020 and has unquestionably been the club’s most important signing of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. But there is a growing feeling the frustration with the club’s lack of success and progress has become too much to bear.
Hugely lucrative moves to Saudi Arabia were rejected with the belief United could still one day challenge for major honours while he wears the armband. Improvement under Carrick last season gave those hopes some credence with plans for a hugely ambitious summer transfer window perhaps convincing Fernandes those dreams were still possible.
But a complete hash of summer and all the other problems that have followed since has left them in a worse position than before. Fernandes, and other senior figures, may feel they have been misled, with the energy draining from the club as a result. Last night’s comments were the clearest indication yet that he has snapped.
It is easy to understand Fernandes’ frustration. But his performances this season and the increasingly petulant reactions aimed at his own teammates when things don’t go right are difficult to stomach. Being the captain of Manchester United does not entitle you to silverware, as Bryan Robson will attest to, with his two Premier League title medals coming at the very back end of his magnificent career at Old Trafford. There is a greater responsibility which he abandoned in Italy.
It has been an issue the club have tried to avoid. But replacing Fernandes or finding a way to structure the team without him could be a problem that needs addressing sooner than we all anticipated.
But there is no quick fix, be it changing the manager or the team this season. United’s have created a situation that breeds apathy. In Fernandes, Martinez, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire you have dressing room leaders who will be out of contract next year unless 12-month extensions are triggered.
Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte make up a contingent the club were desperate to offload just a few months ago. Diogo Dalot has played under five different permanent managers and remained first-choice in his position. A clutch of promising young players in Leny Yoro, Kobbie Mainoo, Shea Lacey and Benjamin Sesko are caught in the middle with nothing pulling the group together.
Fernandes declaring war on Carrick will do nothing to solve those problems.