Manchester United boss Michael Carrick has insisted Bruno Fernandes is fully committed to the club and will keep the captaincy for the trip to Chelsea, as reported by FotMob.
Fernandes was left out of the starting line-up against Bournemouth after questioning Carrick’s tactics following the 4-1 defeat to Como, and ended up as an unused substitute in a 3-0 home loss. It was only the sixth time he has been named on the bench in a Premier League game for United, and the first time he has not started a match under Carrick.
United have now gone eight matches across all competitions without a win, with three draws and five defeats in that run. Fernandes was expected to return to the starting XI after talks with Carrick during the week.
Carrick said the decision was about how the team felt going into the game, and that the captain has no issues with the club. He also said he does not need assurances about his own job and pays no attention to the noise around United, preferring to focus on what supporters see on the pitch.
Reports suggest Carrick has been given time to turn results around, with Julian Nagelsmann, Antonio Conte and Eddie Howe all linked with the role should the club decide to move on.
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Carrick may well have been given assurances by the board, but there is no guarantee of that, and eight games without a win is the kind of run that tests any promise. Fernandes was only questioning the tactics, and the Bournemouth result suggests those tactics were flawed. Carrick can say he does not need assurances, but his team selection against Chelsea will tell us far more than anything he says in a press conference.