According to a report by the Evening Standard on Sunday, October 25, 2026, Michael Carrick has maintained that Bruno Fernandes was left out of Manchester United’s starting lineup against Bournemouth for footballing reasons, despite the midfielder’s recent public criticism of the team’s tactics.

Fernandes was named among the substitutes for Sunday’s Premier League fixture, just days after United suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League.

That result extended the club’s winless run to seven matches in all competitions, increasing the pressure on Carrick, who apologised to supporters following another poor performance.

After the defeat, Fernandes questioned the team’s approach, particularly the decision not to employ a man-to-man pressing system. The Portuguese midfielder argued that United needed to show greater courage, take more risks and push their pressing line higher to make life difficult for opponents.

He also pointed out that a Como centre-back had followed him into United’s half, suggesting that his teammates should have adopted a similar approach to apply pressure across the pitch.

Fernandes’ remarks came shortly before Carrick stressed the importance of unity and making decisions in the best interests of Manchester United. When asked whether the midfielder could lose the captaincy, the manager avoided discussing the details of their conversations.

Carrick insisted that his responsibility was to make choices that benefited the club and suggested that the situation was not something he wanted to address publicly at that moment.

However, he offered a clearer explanation when questioned before the Bournemouth match about Fernandes’ omission. Speaking to Sky Sports, the United manager confirmed that the decision was based entirely on footballing considerations rather than the midfielder’s comments.

Carrick explained that having several players available created difficult selection decisions, but his main concern was choosing a lineup capable of delivering the performance he wanted.

The Bournemouth fixture marked the first time this season that Fernandes had started a Premier League match on the bench. Before the encounter, he had recorded four goals in 11 appearances across all competitions.

Carrick also discussed other selection decisions, revealing that Lisandro Martinez was not sufficiently fit to start despite being considered for the match. The club ultimately decided against taking a risk with the defender.

The manager also praised Ayden Heaven, who had been unwell earlier in the week, and expressed satisfaction with the options available to him.

With United desperate to end their poor run of results, Carrick made it clear that his team needed to deliver a much-improved display against Bournemouth.