Bruno Fernandes said that “many lies” had been spread about his relationship with Manchester United manager Michael Carrick. The English club’s captain spoke after the 3–2 victory over Roma, which ended a run of nine matches without a win.
“It was difficult, there was a lot of speculation in the media. Many lies about different things that happened between me and the manager,” Fernandes told “Amazon Prime”.
This was his first public statement after he was left on the bench following the 1–4 defeat to Como. The Portuguese player publicly criticised Carrick’s tactics at the time. He returned to the starting line-up in the defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League, and was once again one of the key figures against Roma.
Manchester United were trailing 0–2 before Fernandes converted a penalty in the 58th minute. The goal sparked a comeback that ended with a 3–2 victory.
The captain said that being left on the bench had not changed his attitude towards the manager and the club. In his view, Carrick’s decision was justified if it had been prompted by his performance.
“The manager is the one who makes the decisions. That does not change my belief in him, in the staff and in every player at this club. My aim is to win every next match,” Fernandes said.
He also rejected the suggestion that the victory over Roma had saved Carrick’s job. “We should not be saving anyone’s job. The club needed this victory, and so did the players. We are working hard to get out of this situation together,” the Portuguese player said.
Former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel backed Fernandes’ comments on BBC Radio 5 Live. He said he hoped the player, Carrick and Manchester United would put the dispute behind them.
“I hope that Manchester United and Michael Carrick put an end to all of this in the public eye and return to winning matches,” Schmeichel said.