Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has dropped captain Bruno Fernandes to the bench for Sunday’s Premier League home game against Bournemouth, but said the decision was based solely on football considerations.
Fernandes questioned United’s approach after Wednesday’s 4-1 Champions League thrashing at Como, suggesting the side had allowed their opponents too much time and space by sitting back rather than pressing aggressively.
Asked before kickoff whether Fernandes had been left out for football reasons or other factors, Carrick told Sky Sports: “Pure football.”
“When you have options it’s always a difficult decision. We have to make the right one for today and the team to get that performance we want,” he added.
Defender Harry Maguire will wear the captain’s armband instead.
After Wednesday’s shambolic loss, Fernandes told TNT Sports: “The coaching staff decided not to press man-to-man, but instead to sit back and look to win the ball; the problem, however, is that you give teams like that confidence when you allow them that space.”
The Portugal international added that teams under pressure sometimes needed to be “braver” and take risks by pressing higher up the pitch.
Carrick had refused to rule out disciplinary action when asked about the comments at his pre-match press conference on Friday. The midfielder was named among the substitutes against Bournemouth.
Since Carrick’s first game in charge in January, Fernandes has registered more assists (14) and created more chances (96) than any player in Europe’s big five leagues.
United began the day 15th in the table with just one win from seven league matches.