Wayne Rooney has advised Michael Carrick to take Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes ‘out of the firing line’ ahead of this weekend’s huge Premier League clash against Bournemouth.

Carrick’s job could well be on the line when Bournemouth visit Old Trafford on Sunday after United’s dismal start to the new season continued.

Manchester United were thrashed 4-1 by Champions League rivals Como in midweek, condemning the club to their poorest start to a season since 1986.

Fernandes criticised Carrick’s tactics after the shocking defeat out in Italy but United have decided not to punish their skipper in any way, having fined Lisandro Martinez for his post-match outburst following the loss to Atletico Madrid a week prior.

Rooney believes Fernandes should, however, be taken out of the team this weekend, insisting a brief period away from the club could do him the world of good.

Fernandes enjoyed the best season of his career last season, winning the Premier League Player of the Year award after scoring nine goals and providing a record 21 assists.

The Portugal international has scored four goals so far this term but three of those came against newly-promoted Ipswich Town back in August.

‘I think it’s at a point now where he might need a little break,’ Rooney said on The United Stand when asked if he would play Fernandes against Bournemouth.

‘He might need the manager to tell him to go on a little holiday because he had a long season and then a long World Cup.

Ask Metro

‘He might need to go away and recharge the batteries because he’s played a lot of games and he doesn’t look like he’s got that sharpness or that bite about him.

‘I remember Alex Ferguson did that with Cristiano Ronaldo. At random times Ronaldo would go and have a week off and we’d all be standing around wondering why. But he would be recharging his batteries, I think Bruno needs that.

‘He needs to be taken out of the limelight a bit and come back fresher, otherwise he will just be running himself into the ground.

‘That will only make him more agitated and frustrated and then we won’t see the best of him.

‘Just to settle him down and let him get a rest and get his legs back a bit, go and take a week holiday and take him out of the firing line.’

Manchester United legend Rooney was in ‘shock’ and ‘disbelief’ at his former club’s performance against Como and branded the players ‘babies’.

‘When Martinez came out, I said this is an absolute nightmare because it will rip the dressing room apart,’ the former England captain added.

‘That was the start. We’ve seen it now with Bruno and you’re going to see it with more players because they don’t want to take responsibility.

‘You can say whether Bruno was right or wrong in what he said but you have to take responsibility on the pitch. You have to take responsibility as a group of players.

‘These players, they’re selfish. They don’t care about their team-mates, don’t care about the manager, the staff or the fans, they care about themselves.

‘If they’re not getting what’s right for them, they’re like babies and just throw their toys out of the pram and go and deflect the blame on to anyone else but themselves.’