Michael Carrick is hanging onto his job by a thread at Manchester United ahead of a crucial Premier League showdown away against Chelsea but his players also face an uncertain future

Michael Carrick knows Manchester United must stop the rot if he is to keep his job. The Red Devils travel to Chelsea this weekend in desperate need of a positive result after a winless run of eight games.

The former United and England midfielder is on extremely thin ice after consecutive three-goal defeats in the Champions League and Premier League. And tensions have boiled over with a civil war playing out in post-match interviews, with Bruno Fernandes criticising the manager's tactics after the fallen giants were thrashed 4-1 by Como.

The club captain was relegated to the substitutes' bench for Sunday's 3-0 loss to Bournemouth as a result of his outburst. But now, with United slumped in 16th and just one point above the relegation zone going into the clash with fifth-placed Chelsea, he is needed more than ever. Here's all the latest news from Old Trafford.

Make sure you never miss the most fun content in sport by making the Daily Star one of your Google preferred sources

Fernandes told he's 'finished'

Paul Scholes reckons Bruno Fernandes' Manchester United days are done and has called on the Portugal star to abandon European football altogether and head to the Saudi Pro League.

The 51-year-old didn't hold back on Fernandes' public row with Carrick, reports the Mirror. He labelled the 32-year-old midfielder's comments "unforgivable" and maintained that those at United would never be able to place their faith in him again.

"What Bruno Fernandes said last week, I think that's unforgivable," Scholes said. "How can Bruno Fernandes be trusted to be captain of any team he ever goes to now?

"I think he probably needs to get away from European football and just go to Saudi, just get out the way. I don't think any manager, any member of staff can trust him after that."

Carrick makes bold Fernandes decision

Michael Carrick is ready to recall Bruno Fernandes to the starting line-up this weekend after benching him against Bournemouth.

Before the defeat, Fernandes had featured in every minute of United's Premier League season, making his exclusion particularly striking amid the club's current turmoil.

However, Carrick, Fernandes, and senior staff have now agreed to move past the dispute, potentially clearing the path for the midfielder to feature at Stamford Bridge, after the manager and player held showdown talks to clear the air.

The internal peace deal comes after Carrick narrowly avoided the sack earlier this week. On Monday, co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Avram Glazer, and Joel Glazer held a crucial conference call with chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox to discuss the manager's position.

While Carrick was officially given a reprieve on Tuesday, anything less than a commanding display against Chelsea could spell the end of his reign.

Injury woes

United have suffered another major injury blow with Benjamin Sesko ruled out until at least January.

The striker's ongoing shin injury reportedly requires complete rest. According to The Athletic, United's medical team have been investigating the best treatment for Sesko's issue, which he picked up at the end of last season.

The 23-year-old briefly returned to first-team action at the start of the season, having missed the entirety of pre-season, but he suffered a recurrence of the injury and has been sidelined since the 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat against Brighton in September.

And the Slovenian will not return until at least the New Year with him needing more time to rest and recover to fully heal the issue. It will then take Sesko even longer to get back up to match sharpness.