Former United star Young, however, was far from impressed by Fernandes' demeanour, contending that the midfielder's behaviour failed to meet the expectations of a club captain.

"Do you know what you want, as well? Okay, you've been dropped as a player, you know, it happens to a player," Young said on Sky Sports. "You've been there, but you want to see a reaction.

"He's got his hood up, he's walking in, he's showing the fans, 'Look, I'm still upset.' But that's not the reaction you want from a captain of Manchester United. You want to see him, [feel] 'Okay, right, I've been dropped, I know what I've done wrong.

"'I'm going to walk in, and when I get the opportunity to come on the pitch, I'm going to show what I'm actually about. Okay, my comments in the week were said and directed to Michael Carrick, but I don't want to show everyone else what I've said is already out there.

Whilst Carrick insisted the decision was based solely on footballing considerations, he admitted it was a difficult call involving one of the club's most influential players.

He said: "Picking the team, the starting XI, you've got options to choose from; it is always a difficult decision. We've got to make what we feel is the right one for today, for the team, to try to get that performance that we want."

Martinez, who also recently aimed criticism at the club's hierarchy in a fiery post-match interview, was named among the substitutes, with Carrick revealing he was not yet fully fit to start.

"It was touch and go," the head coach explained. "And it just wasn't worth the total risk. "Ayden's been ill for the start of the week, and he's played well when he's played for us. I'm happy with the team.

"I think we've got a really strong team; we've got strong options coming off the bench, so we need a good performance and a good result today."