“Many lies”: Bruno Fernandes settles scores with the press after Manchester United’s stunning comeback
After Manchester United’s emphatic win over AS Roma in the Champions League, captain Bruno Fernandes launched a broadside against the press.
The Portuguese had publicly criticised Michael Carrick amid an alarming crisis at the historic English club, and Carrick responded by benching him for the league match against AFC Bournemouth (0-3). Rumours also emerged that the playmaker could leave when his contract expires in the summer.
After United came from 2-0 down to beat Roma 3-2, Fernandes let out his frustration on Amazon Prime. "It was hard. There was a lot of speculation in the media, a lot of lies about various things that happened at this club between me and the manager, for example that we had a meeting to clear the air. Nothing of the sort happened," he said.
Carrick had left him out of the starting line-up for a different reason. "The manager made the decision to put me on the bench because I wasn't performing, and that's fair," Fernandes stressed, adding: "Everyone felt it was a punishment for the words I said, and if it was, it was right. The manager is the one who makes the decisions. I have to accept them, I have to move on. That doesn't change my faith in the manager."
Among United's best players of recent years, Fernandes was voted the Premier League's best player as the face of the revival under Carrick only in May. Since joining for the 2020/21 season, he has scored 112 goals and provided 110 assists in 340 competitive appearances for the Red Devils.
Manchester United: Michael Carrick's departure had seemed sealed
Carrick remains in the job despite a run of defeats, at times disastrous, that had made his departure seem all but certain. Before the spectacular Champions League triumph, the Red Devils had gone ten competitive matches without a win. A meagre seven points leave them 17th in the Premier League. Rumours that United would dismiss the long-serving midfielder had persisted for weeks.
Antonio Conte and Julian Nagelsmann, both currently without a club, had recently been mentioned as successors. Nagelsmann has also been linked with a return to RB Leipzig. According to Sport Bild, the former Germany coach is a kind of "shadow man" to current coach Martin Demichelis.
In January of this year, Carrick took over from Ruben Amorim on an interim basis, as he had done at the end of 2021. He has officially been head coach since May. His contract runs until 2028.
