Bruno Fernandes insists Manchester United players fought back for their 3-2 win over Roma in the Champions League to prove a point to themselves as much as trying to save the manager, though he did have an interesting reveal about his recent disciplinary issues with Michael Carrick.

The Red Devils produced a stirring fightback to record a much-needed victory over the Italian outfit, who had raced into a 2-0 lead within 17 minutes at a stunned Old Trafford.

Having only produced one shot on target in the first half, it was little wonder that the players left the pitch to a chorus of boos, and the knives were certainly sharpening at that point as far as Carrick‘s future is concerned.

But whatever the manager said at half-time certainly did the trick, and a twice-taken Fernandes penalty, won by Matheus Cunha, before the Brazilian then scored two late goals himself – the second an absolute belter – to spark scenes of utter jubilation.

After the game, a clearly relieved Fernandes admitted the players needed that win, which ended a run of nine games without a victory, stating it was as much about themselves as it was the manager.

“We don’t need to save anyone’s job,” the United skipper told Amazon Prime.

“The club needed that win, the players needed that win. We have been working so hard to get out of this situation altogether.”

While Fernandes didn’t delve too deeply into how the result could prove a turning point in their season, nor on how the victory could potentially spare Carrick from the sack, the Portuguese did have some strong words for the media in general and the way they have portrayed his relationship with the United boss…

Bruno Fernandes tells some home truths on Carrick relationship

The media work Fernandes did after Tuesday’s win was the first time he had faced the press since he publicly spoke out about the manager’s tactics in a 4-1 Champions League loss to Como a fortnight ago – a criticism that saw the player dropped to the bench for their next game against Bournemouth.

But restored to the team on Saturday at Chelsea, a clearly pumped-up Fernandes helped set United on their way on Tuesday night, with his retaken penalty – and he was clearly eager to make a point about his relationship with Carrick, dropping a refreshingly honest update on the situation.

“It’s been tough; there’s been a lot of speculation in the media,” Fernandes told Amazon Prime.

“A lot of lies around many things that have happened between me and the manager, that we have cleared the air, then after that the manager took the decision to put me on the bench because I’m not performing. That’s fair.

“Everyone thought that was a punishment for the words that I had. And, if it was, it was right. The manager is the one who makes the decisions.

“It doesn’t change the belief I have of the manager, the staff and every player in this club. It doesn’t change my aim to win every game that I have ahead of me.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said he liked the cut of Fernandes’ drift and hopes now a line can be drawn under the situation.

Fernandes’ comments and that he hoped “they can draw a line under all this public stuff and they can get back to winning games”.

“In Bruno Fernandes’ defence is that I’ve been in football a long time and what’s reported in the media is a fraction of the truth usually,” said Schmeichel.

“The number of times I saw something written about the clubs I was playing in that couldn’t be further from the truth was absolutely staggering.

“I hope for Manchester United and Michael Carrick; they can draw a line under all this public stuff, and they can get back to winning games like they did today.”

Despite that, the pressure very much remains on Carrick, and he will need a similarly stirring display at home to Aston Villa on Sunday to further his case to keep the job.

In light of that, a strong report on Tuesday claimed Jason Wilcox has now pinpointed his perfect replacement for the United boss, with the director of football given the ultimate green light by Sir Jim Ratcliffe to both sack Carrick and appoint his potential successor.

In more positive news, Paul Scholes has claimed that Sir David Beckham could launch an astonishing takeover of Manchester United, in a move that could jettison both the Glazers and Ratcliffe in one fell swoop.