Bruno Fernandes Dropped as Carrick Insists Man Utd Decision Was ‘Pure Football’

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has insisted that his decision to bench captain Bruno Fernandes for the Premier League clash with Bournemouth was based purely on football considerations, despite the midfielder’s recent criticism of the team’s tactics.

Fernandes had questioned United’s passive defensive approach after the club suffered a 4-1 defeat to Como in Italy on Wednesday. However, Carrick denied that the Portugal international’s remarks influenced his decision to leave him out of the starting line-up.

United faced Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday under mounting pressure, having gone seven matches without a victory in all competitions. They began the day in 15th position in the Premier League standings, with only seven points from seven league games.

Explaining his selection, Carrick said choosing the right players for the match was his priority.

“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 said.

Fernandes was one of four players omitted from the starting team, alongside Matheus Cunha, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. Carrick brought in Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro, Carlos Baleba and Amad Diallo as part of the changes.

The decision comes after a difficult start to the season for Fernandes, who was one of United’s standout performers last term. The midfielder collected a clean sweep of individual awards after registering a record 21 assists in the Premier League, helping the club finish third.

His performances this season have been less influential, with his hat-trick against Ipswich in August standing out as one of his major contributions.

Fernandes was not the first United player to voice concerns about the club’s direction. Defender Lisandro Martinez had criticised the board slightly more than a week earlier, questioning whether it had done enough to reinforce Carrick’s squad during the transfer window.

Martinez retained his place after making those comments but was taken off at half-time in the 1-1 draw against Leeds last weekend because of an injury. He was named among the substitutes for the Bournemouth fixture.

Meanwhile, former United striker Wayne Rooney called on the players to accept responsibility for the club’s struggles rather than shift the blame to the manager or other figures at the club.

“You can say whether Bruno was right or wrong in what he said but you have to take responsibility on the pitch. You have to take responsibility as a group of players,” Rooney said.

Rooney then accused some members of the squad of being more concerned about themselves than the team.

“These players, they’re selfish. They don’t care about their team-mates, don’t care about the manager, the staff or the fans, they care about themselves,” he said.

He added: “If they’re not getting what’s right for them, they’re like babies and just throw their toys out of the pram and go and deflect the blame on to anyone else but themselves.”

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