Michael Carrick and Bruno Fernandes 'clear the air' as Man Utd captain set for Chelsea recall
· Yahoo Sports
Michael Carrick and Bruno Fernandes have met face-to-face to 'clear the air', with the Manchester United captain now expected to be in contention for Saturday's Premier League trip to Chelsea.
Fernandes did not come off the bench for the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford, having been dropped after he criticised Carrick's tactics following the 4-1 thrashing at Como in the Champions League.
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According toSky Sports News, the pair held an open and frank discussion at United's training ground on Tuesday. It is not known whether Fernandes apologised for his public comments.
His criticism of Carrick's approach came just days after Lisandro Martinez had hit out at the club's hierarchy over a lack of investment in the summer transfer window.
The one-to-one came alongside an entire squad meeting, where players and staff agreed performances must improve immediately and admitted there had been underperformance across the squad this season. The Red Devils have taken just seven points from their opening eight games of thePremier League campaign.
United sit just above the relegation zone after their worst-ever start to a Premier League season, and Carrick's own future has come under scrutiny. A decision has been made for Carrick to continue for this weekend's clash with Chelsea. The 45-year-old was only appointed permanent manager at Old Trafford in the summer.
Bruno Fernandes back in contention as Carrick keeps his job for Chelsea showdown
On the decision to drop Fernandes, Carrick described his decision to leave out his captain as "pure football". Fernandes is the reigning PFA Player of the Year after breaking the Premier League's single-season assist record (21) in 2025/26.
"Picking the team is always a difficult decision," Carrick told Sky Sports.
"We've got to make what we feel is the right one for the team to try to get the performance we want."