Carrick Drops Captain Fernandes to the Bench for Bournemouth Game

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick dropped his captain, Bruno Fernandes, to the bench for Sunday's Premier League home game against Bournemouth at Old Trafford. Fernandes was named as a substitute for the Matchday 8 fixture, which kicked off at 9:00 a.m. Central time, four days after the midfielder publicly criticised the team's approach in a 4-1 Champions League loss at Como.

A captain answers for Como

The dropping followed Fernandes appearing to criticise his manager after the 4-1 loss to Como in the Champions League on Wednesday. Fernandes questioned United's approach after the thrashing, suggesting the side had allowed their opponents too much time and space by sitting back rather than pressing aggressively.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Fernandes said: "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."

Carrick refused to rule out disciplinary action when he was asked about Fernandes's comments at his pre-match press conference on Friday. He then left his captain out of the starting side on Sunday.

Carrick calls it a football decision

Carrick described the decision to drop his captain, in a pre-match interview, as a pure football decision. Asked on Sky Sports whether Fernandes was dropped for football reasons or for something else, Carrick replied simply: "Pure football."

He added: "Picking the team is always a difficult decision," and said: "I'll always do what's best for the football club." Carrick also set out what he wants from his side, saying: "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."

The numbers behind the call

It is only the sixth time Fernandes has been named on the bench for a Premier League game since he joined United in January 2020, according to statistics company Opta. The 32-year-old Portugal midfielder has been central to United's attack under Carrick. Since Carrick's first game in charge in January, Fernandes has the most assists, 14, and has created the most chances, 96, of any player in Europe's big five leagues.

Fernandes was voted player of the year in England last season. He won a clean sweep of individual awards last season after breaking the Premier League record for assists with 21, as United finished third in the table. Leaving a player with that output out of the starting side, for a home game United need to win, underlines how seriously Carrick took the Como comments.

Four changes for a team in trouble

Fernandes was not the only player to drop out. Carrick made four changes in total, with Matheus Cunha, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui also dropping out for Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro, Carlos Baleba and Amad Diallo. Senne Lammens, Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven were among the starters, and Fernandes was listed in the United roster as a non-starting midfielder.

United began the day 15th in the Premier League table with just one win from seven games, and they had not won any of their last seven games in all competitions. The selection is about one match, but it also sets a line inside the dressing room: the captain criticised the plan in public, and the manager answered with the teamsheet.