Bruno Fernandes's criticism of Manchester United manager Michael Carrick earlier this week was always going to attract scrutiny. Having been part of a team that was comprehensively outplayed by Como in the Champions League, trying to "out" the Englishman was never going to sit well.

That all felt fair game. With Fernandes being deployed as part of what was described as a "half press", Como ran rings around the Portuguese who, on more than one occasion, unsuccessfully chased down several passes before displaying the body language which suggested that Como were too fast and too sharp for him.

Carrick was quick to fire back at Fernandes offering a public critique of his strategy against Cesc Fabregas's exceptional outfit, and it was the response that you would expect from someone who spent much of his career playing under Sir Alex Ferguson.

He also started Friday's press conference, ahead of the Premier League game with Bournemouth, with a statement on Man United's recent struggles.

However, the question has barely been raised over whether Carrick should take the brunt of the blame for Fernandes becoming increasingly less influential in a Man United shirt.

There could be reasons for that. Fernandes's never-ending gesticulating towards officials is a permanent eye sore in Man United matches, plus why would Carrick overly-tinker with the role of a player who delivered 30 goals/assists in 2025-26 and won the Premier League Player of the Season award?

But while Fernandes is the easy target, Carrick may have lost sight of the fact that the club captain is reaching a crossroads in his career where his role in this Man United team must change.

Has Man United star Fernandes reached burn out?

The Premier League has evolved in recent seasons. This has become the era where physicality and pressing is as important as resilience and skill.

As per Stats Muse, Fernandes - who is now 32 years of age - is third in the most minutes (16,256) accumulated by outfield players in the Premier League since 2021-22, only behind central defenders James Tarkowski and Virgil van Vijk.

Arsenal's Declan Rice is marginally behind him, but Fulham's Alex Iwobi is the next midfielder in the list with 13,729 minutes. That is a difference of 2,527 minutes, the equivalent of 28 matches.

Furthermore, Fernandes has accumulated over 3,000 minutes in each of the last six Premier League campaigns. He also completed the 90 minutes in all 17 of Man United's Premier League games under Carrick in 2025-26.

As per Fotmob, Fernandes made 366 sprints in last season's Premier League, the sixth-most by an attacking midfielder. In terms of distance covered, he was third with 383.2km, only behind the much younger Morgan Rogers and Enzo Fernandez.

Meanwhile, Fernandes was 14th for distance covered by any player in the Premier League in 2025-26. Bernardo Silva, who was playing in a more possession-based side, is the only player of the 13 above him who was older.

Whether it is concluding that Fernandes's comments stem from an attitude problem, or describing it as an "absolute disgrace", or Wayne Rooney calling Fernandes a "baby". They all make headlines without identifying that Fernandes may simply be absolutely exhausted from the overwhelming resonsibility that is placed in his shoulders at Old Trafford, both physically and mentally.

How should Carrick change Fernandes's Man United role?

How Carrick uses Fernandes has become a major problem. An argument could be made for taking him out of the team against Bournemouth on Sunday. Partly for a rest, but also due to having contributed no goals or assists in five successive Premier League games.

Realistically, that will not happen. Carrick, fighting to keep his job, cannot afford to drop Fernandes, nor should he be using him on the left, like he did against Leeds United last weekend.

A strength of United is the pace of their attackers. For all the talk of Matheus Cunha's questionable work-rate, Marcus Rashford's ineffective pressing and the absence of Benjamin Sesko, Carrick still has enough options in attack where defences can be exploited through the speed of the aforementioned players, Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo.

The only suitable place for Fernandes in this Man United team is a deeper midfield position in a three, alongside Carlos Baleba and one of Kobbie Mainoo, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.

For all the qualities that Tielemans brings, and showed with his assist against Leeds, you can argue that his lack of speed is detrimental to a Man United team with Fernandes in it. Tielemans is making as many sprints per game (7.9 to 8.1) as Fernandes, emphasising that it is not a lack of effort. They just cannot be used effectively in the same team.

Carrick is in a position, not helped by the club's recruitment, where it makes sense for the younger, more combative Mainoo or Santos to take over Fernandes's pressing responsibilities and allow him to sit deep, or roam. Neither player are number 10s, but they can act as the key to unlock a return to form for Fernandes.

That comes with its own restraints, but Santos, for example, was in the top five for tackles and interceptions during his time at Strasbourg in 2024-25. Carrick is yet to make use of those qualities, or the Brazilian simply has not had a chance to show it because of the failings of the press in front of him.

While Carrick is essentially in a position where he has nothing to lose, he also has to accept his own weaknesses. When he was Middlesbrough manager, there was a running joke, or prediction, among sections of the fanbase where they were confident that they could predict his substitutions and felt that it contributed to an initial quick start descending into a Riverside Stadium stint that did not fulfil its potential.

If he is not prepared to change his approach after Man United's worst start since 1986, when is he ever going to?

Man United have had an over-reliance on Fernandes for several years. Carrick reaped the benefits from it last season and he still can.  But gone are the days where a 32-year-old can play 90 minutes every Premier League game and be expected to press an increasing amount of teams who play out from the back.

Not only is it a waste of Fernandes's qualities, it is a waste of everyone's time.