Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been dropped to the bench for Sunday’s Premier League home game against Bournemouth, days after he publicly blamed manager Michael Carrick for United’s tactics in the Champions League humiliation at Como. Carrick called the omission a football decision, but the call has split pundits down the middle.
Bruno Fernandes (Credits: BBC Sport)
Bruno Fernandes Dropped After Como Comments
Fernandes’ place in the side has been debated ever since his explosive comments after Wednesday’s 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como, when he blamed Carrick for United’s tactics and for failing to change them during the game. Carrick refused to say at his Friday media conference whether Fernandes would be dropped, but the team sheet confirmed it on Sunday.
With Fernandes on the bench, Harry Maguire takes over as captain, while Mason Mount has been handed a playmaking role alongside Youri Tielemans. United go into the game chasing an end to a seven-match run without a win in all competitions, so the stakes for Carrick’s gamble could hardly be higher.
Asked about the selection on Sky Sports, Carrick said: “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.”
Was Carrick Right to Drop Fernandes?
It is only the sixth time Fernandes has been left on the bench for a Premier League game, and the previous two, at the end of the 2024-25 season, were to keep him fresh for important Europa League ties. The numbers underline the risk: United have won just one of their last ten Premier League games without Fernandes in the starting XI, drawing three and losing six, with the lone win a 1-0 victory over Newcastle in December.
Pundits were divided. Former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison backed the call on BBC Radio 5 Live, saying a player cannot call out his manager tactically in the media, though he warned that if United fail to win, the blame will fall back on Carrick. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher agreed Carrick had to make a stand, while noting that Fernandes remains United’s best player and last season’s PFA Player of the Year.
European football expert Julien Laurens went further, arguing the benching was only half a sanction and that Fernandes should have been left out of the squad entirely. Matheus Cunha is also among the substitutes after being replaced at half-time in Italy, while Lisandro Martinez, who spoke out about the United hierarchy after the 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid earlier this month, is on the bench too.
Carrick addressed the Como debacle in his programme notes, writing that Wednesday’s performance was extremely disappointing and that the team owed supporters a performance worthy of the club. Whether dropping his captain delivers it will define how this gamble is remembered.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
