Just in: Carrick makes decision on returning starter vs Chelsea after face-to-face meeting at Carrington on Tuesday

Michael Carrick and Bruno Fernandes are said to have held a ‘clear-the-air’ meeting together on Tuesday.

The pair met face-to-face to discuss their recent conflict, which saw Fernandes openly criticise Carrick and the coaching staff’s tactical decisions for Manchester United’s 4-1 defeat to Como last week.

It resulted in the captain being benched for the entirety of Sunday’s loss to Bournemouth, though Carrick insisted Fernandes’ omission was purely a footballing decision.

Carrick and Fernandes make amends

The Portugal star has gone eight games without registering a goal contribution for United, so you could perhaps believe that Carrick thought it best to leave him out.

However, the fact they’ve met one-on-one to hold talks suggests tension did need to be cleared between the pair, especially as talkSPORT claims that the 32-year-old is in line to return to the starting XI for Saturday’s clash with Chelsea.

Even amidst his torrid run of form, Fernandes remains United’s most influential player in attack, which has been the case since he joined back in January 2020.

Carrick: The state of play

Meanwhile, fans and pundits were expecting Carrick to be relieved of his duties at the start of the week, but INEOS have decided to give him the chance to turn things around.

After facing the Blues this weekend, United host AS Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday, November 3, before also welcoming in-form Aston Villa to Old Trafford next Sunday.

It’s then the international break, so poor results over the next week-and-a-half could lead to a managerial change when club action hits pause.