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Bruno Fernandes starts for Manchester United against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Michael Carrick insists Bruno Fernandes' experience will help Manchester United against Chelsea this afternoon. The Reds' captain was dropped last weekend after criticising Carrick's tactics following the defeat to Como in the Champions League.
Fernandes remained an unused substitute during the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth. Carrick looked as though he would be sacked following the defeat but, after keeping his job following crisis talks, the head coach and captain sat down for clear-the-air talks on Tuesday.
In his pre-match press conference, Carrick claimed the issues between himself and Fernandes had been put to bed. Fernandes has been picked to start at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking to MUTV pre-match, Carrick explained his decision to return Fernandes to the starting line-up. He said: "He's a big player, Bruno, he offers us so much, you know, with his experience. He's been through a lot here and achieved a lot and shown what he can bring to the team.
"So he's an important part of the team for us and I think we've got a good balance today. We've got a good team and the boys are looking forward to it."
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Matheus Cunha scored the winner at Stamford Bridge last season. On Cunha, Carrick added: "I mean of course, you know, whoever scores, whoever makes the difference. I think that's the beauty of it.
"There's always the next opportunity. There's always the next moment to make the most of it, whether it's Matheus today, whether it's somebody else or whether it's just a collective whole team good performance to win the game. It's what we are looking for."