Bruno Fernandes left on the Manchester United bench after Carrick criticism

Fernandes on the bench

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick left captain Bruno Fernandes on the bench for Sunday's match against Bournemouth at Old Trafford. The decision followed the Portuguese midfielder's criticism of the coach's tactics after the 1:4 thrashing by Como on Wednesday in Italy, where Fernandes slammed the team's passivity off the ball. Carrick called the choice a 'purely footballing' decision and rejected the suggestion that it was a response to the captain's remarks: 'When you have options, it is always difficult to make a decision. We have to make the right one for today and for the team, to get the kind of game we want.'

Crisis results

United go into the match without a win in seven games in all competitions, sitting 15th in the table on seven points after seven rounds of the championship. Carrick needs a win to quieten speculation about his future. Besides Fernandes, the coach made three more changes: Matheus Cunha, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui made way for Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro, Carlos Baleba and Amad Diallo.

The captain's form and conflicts within the squad

Last season Fernandes swept all the individual awards, setting a Premier League record for assists (21), while United finished third. This season the influence of the 32-year-old midfielder has been noticeably limited — the exception being a hat-trick against Ipswich in August. Notably, Fernandes's criticism came just over a week after Lisandro Martinez publicly reproached the club's leadership for insufficiently strengthening Carrick's squad in the transfer window. Martinez was not dismissed over his words, but he was substituted at half-time in the 1:1 draw with Leeds due to injury and will only return to the bench against Bournemouth, not being ready to start.

Rooney's reaction

United's all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney criticised the players' behaviour: 'You can argue whether Bruno was right or wrong in what he said, but responsibility has to be taken on the pitch. The responsibility has to be taken by the group of players.' In his words, today's players are 'selfish': 'They don't care about their team-mates, the coach, the staff or the fans — only about themselves. If they don't get what they want, they throw their toys out of the pram like children and blame anyone but themselves.'

Why it matters

The situation points to an open conflict within a club in a sporting crisis: two public criticisms of the coach and the leadership within a week, against the backdrop of 15th place and a winless run. For the fans, the upcoming match against Bournemouth will be a test of whether the team can withstand the pressure; in practical terms, Carrick's decision shows that even the captain and a league record-holder is not guaranteed against rotation, while the coach's own future depends directly on the result of this game.