Fernandes’ criticism of Carrick sparks debate over Manchester United captaincy

Bruno Fernandes’ public criticism of Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has intensified debate over the captain’s role, with former players condemning his comments after United’s 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como.

Fernandes questioned the team’s approach to pressing in an interview with TNT Sports. Asked whether Carrick had got his tactics wrong, the midfielder said that was for the manager and staff to judge.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said on CBS Sports that Fernandes had reacted because he was embarrassed after being substituted. He called the captain’s attitude “awful” and said it was “not what a Manchester United captain should be”.

Other pundits focused less on whether Fernandes was right and more on his decision to air his criticism publicly. Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville was not quoted in the report; former Leicester and Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said on BBC Radio 5 Live that Fernandes should have kept the issue in-house. Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock and ex-Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole also argued that such disagreements should be addressed within the club.

The row comes amid a poor run of results. United had not won in seven games since beating Sabah and had one victory in their first seven Premier League matches this season, according to the BBC. Carrick responded that players must run both forwards and back, whatever system is used.

Fernandes’ remarks follow criticism from defender Lisandro Martínez after United’s previous Champions League defeat, against Atlético Madrid. Martínez had called for more investment and more from technical director Jason Wilcox, then apologised. He kept his place for the following match.

Fernandes has captained United since 2023 and was named Premier League player of the year last season. The BBC reported that the club had not said whether his captaincy was at risk. His place in the team for Sunday’s match against Bournemouth was also being questioned by pundits, but no selection decision had been announced.