Jamie Carragher believes a number of Manchester United players will welcome the opportunity to play without Bruno Fernandes, after he was dropped by Michael Carrick. The Portuguese midfielder was named as a substitute by the United boss for the clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday, following Wednesday night's outburst in which he publicly questioned Carrick's tactical approach.
Fernandes benched after Carrick decision
Fernandes, last season's Player of the Year, has long been regarded as the club's talisman, yet will now find himself among the substitutes for only the fifth time since his arrival in January 2020. Despite his undeniable ability, the former Sporting Lisbon man has faced scrutiny over his behaviour on the pitch.
Carragher suggested that his conduct, which frequently involves berating his teammates, signals that he doubts their quality, but that they would now look to seize the opportunity to perform without the Portugal star's presence.
Carragher's verdict on Fernandes
The former Liverpool defender said on Sky Sports: "You don't want it to blow up in your face, he is Manchester United's best player, we can't get away from that. PFA Player of the Year last year, but Carrick had to make a stand."
"And you're hoping that this brings us together as a group because there's no doubt about it, even though he's their best player, there will be a lot of people who don't actually like playing with Fernandes."
"He's always throwing his arms up at people, he's basically saying 'you lot aren't good enough to play with me'. We see that a lot from Fernandes."
"So hopefully the players will stick together, they'll need the support as well, because confidence is low. They'll need to start well, and actually enjoy playing football together."
"And if things aren't going well, or someone gives a pass away, you get together, keep encouraging and push each other on."
United lineup changes
Despite Lisandro Martinez publicly lambasting the Old Trafford hierarchy last weekend, the Argentine defender was still handed a starting berth for the match at Leeds. Fernandes, however, has been dropped following his criticism of the manager, though Carrick maintained the decision was based purely on footballing grounds.
United will line up with a front three of Amad, Mason Mount and Bryan Mbeumo, while Fernandes takes his place among the substitutes alongside the likes of Matheus Cunha and Joshua Zirkzee.
Gary Neville said ahead of Sunday's clash: "The two most prominent players in the team - a World Cup winner and the PFA Player of the Year - coming out and hammering the owners, hammering the sporting director and criticising the manager, all in the space of a week means the players have completely gone."
