Carrick drops Fernandes for Bournemouth clash as United crisis deepens

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has benched captain Bruno Fernandes for Sunday's Premier League match against Bournemouth at Old Trafford, a day after the Portuguese midfielder publicly criticized the team's tactics following a 4-1 Champions League thrashing by debutants Como. Carrick insists it's a "pure football" decision, not retaliation, but the timing is unmistakable.

United sit 15th with just seven points from seven games — their worst start in decades — and are winless across all competitions. Carrick made four changes total, also dropping Matheus Cunha, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui for Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro, Carlos Baleba and Amad Diallo. The stakes couldn't be higher: another poor result likely seals Carrick's fate.

Fernandes won a clean sweep of individual awards last season after breaking the Premier League assists record (21) as United finished third. This term, his only standout moment was a hat-trick against Ipswich in August. Club legend Wayne Rooney didn't hold back, calling the players "selfish" and "like babies" who "throw their toys out of the pram" when things don't go their way.

Lisandro Martinez recently blasted the board for failing to strengthen the squad, yet escaped the axe (he's injured anyway). The disconnect between leadership, players and management is now openly toxic.

With United's season unraveling before October ends, does Carrick have the tactical answers and dressing room authority to reverse this slide — or has the club's latest managerial experiment already failed?

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/10/25/carrick-drops-fernandes-after-como-outburst/