Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick and club captain Bruno Fernandes met in person at the club's training ground on Tuesday to resolve the rift between them, according to Sky Sports. The pair held what the broadcaster describes as an open and frank conversation, and both are said to have committed to concentrating on improving the team's results. Fernandes is now expected to be available for United's Premier League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The meeting followed a turbulent week at Old Trafford. Fernandes was left out of the starting line-up and stayed on the bench throughout Sunday's 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, a decision taken after he publicly questioned Carrick's approach in the wake of a 4-1 Champions League loss at Como.
Why it matters
United go into the Chelsea fixture with their season under heavy scrutiny, and the relationship between the head coach and his captain had become the most visible symptom of that. Carrick is reported to have been under serious pressure after the Bournemouth result, but he has been given the opportunity to steady the side. Restoring Fernandes to the fold removes one distraction, though it does not answer the wider questions about form that the squad itself has acknowledged.
Sky Sports reports that the one-to-one conversation was separate from a full-team meeting, where players and staff agreed that results must improve without delay. Those present also accepted, according to the same reporting, that the whole squad has underperformed this season rather than any single individual.
Carrick keeps his counsel on selection
Speaking after the Bournemouth match, Carrick gave little away about the reasoning behind his team choice. "Picking the team is always a difficult decision," he told Sky Sports. "We've got to make what we feel is the right one for the team to try to get the performance we want."
Sky Sports says the head coach came away from Tuesday's discussion satisfied that the tension between the two men has been settled. Whether Fernandes offered an apology for his public remarks is not known.
The captain's comments after the Como defeat centred on United's pressing strategy. Fernandes suggested the staff had chosen not to press man to man, preferring to leave space behind and try to win the ball back early. He argued that ceding possession to opponents allowed them to build confidence and left United's players expending energy chasing, which in turn made it harder to think clearly once the ball was recovered. Asked directly whether the tactics were responsible for the loss, he said that was a matter for the manager and his staff to assess rather than for him.
Carrick, at his pre-Bournemouth press conference, declined to rule out disciplinary action. He said his priority was the team and the mood within the squad, adding that he would always act in what he judged to be the club's best interests. Sky Sports News had reported on 22 October that Fernandes would keep the captaincy despite his remarks.
Fernandes was the second United player to air grievances publicly during October, after Lisandro Martinez spoke out following the Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid.
Neville critical of captain's intervention
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said after the Bournemouth game that Fernandes had let himself down. He contrasted the midfielder with former United captains Eric Cantona and Roy Keane, arguing that neither had complained about tactics or pressing in post-match interviews. Neville pointed to the travelling supporters who had paid to watch the Como match, saying the timing of the criticism was wrong and that the captain should have delivered a positive message instead.
Neville also noted that supporters at Old Trafford did not call for Fernandes while he warmed up on Sunday, and that boos were heard after Carrick left the pitch. He said the crowd had backed the head coach, and that Fernandes had effectively undermined his manager a week after Martinez had done the same.
He added that Carrick had won trophies at the club and shown resilience over a long period, and that Fernandes had been United's most consistent performer of the past 13 years. In Neville's view, the midfielder's error was one of judgement rather than ability.
What to watch
Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy, speaking on the broadcaster's coverage, said Fernandes is firmly back in contention and has trained normally since Monday, when he attended Carrington for treatment to maintain his fitness. She described his public outburst as out of character and said the message from the club is that business has returned to usual. How large a role Fernandes plays at Stamford Bridge on Saturday will be the first real indication of whether the truce holds.
