Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been criticised after liking a social-media post which said: “Never push a devoted person to the point where they no longer care.”

Fernandes’ reaction came after manager Michael Carrick left the Portugal midfielder on the bench for Manchester United’s match against Bournemouth.

Manchester Evening News published a screenshot showing Fernandes had liked the message. The newspaper’s journalist said the player’s frustration was understandable, given that he had spent the best years of his career at a club that continues to decline.

However, the journalist also argued that Fernandes had first let Carrick down and was now behaving in a similar way to Alejandro Garnacho, who had previously made his dissatisfaction with his position at the club public.

The incident followed Fernandes’ criticism of Manchester United’s tactics after their 4-1 defeat by Como in the Champions League last week. He expressed his concerns about the approach used in that match.

On Sunday, Manchester United suffered another heavy defeat, losing 3-0 to Bournemouth without their captain.