Michael Carrick has refused to rule out stripping Bruno Fernandes of the Manchester United captaincy in the future, insisting he makes every decision for the good of the club.
Fernandes questioned United's tactics during the Champions League match against Como, telling TNT Sports: "It's a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball." When asked if Carrick got his tactics wrong, Fernandes said: "That's on the manager and staff to see it, not me."
Carrick responds to Fernandes' comments
Fernandes was substituted in the 66th minute against Como and shook his head as he walked around the pitch. Carrick did not acknowledge the midfielder as he returned to the bench.
Carrick hit back at Fernandes' comments in his post-match press conference, but played down the situation when he spoke again on Friday. There is no suggestion Fernandes will be stripped of the captaincy, but Carrick explained he is not afraid of making tough decisions if they are what he believes is "best for the football club".
When asked if he would consider stripping Fernandes of the armband, Carrick said: "I'm just saying I'll always, whatever the situation is, I'll always do what's best for the football club."
Dressing room unity and support for Fernandes
When it was put to Carrick that Fernandes' comments could be divisive, he responded: "Yeah, the most important thing for me is the team, first and foremost, is the squad, is the dynamics in the squad. And again, it's about the football club. And I'll always do what's best for the football club."
Carrick insisted the dressing room was not divided, saying: "It's not divided, no. It's not divided. We just need to get back to doing what we do best, and we will."
The United boss did not confirm whether he had spoken to Fernandes: "Yeah, if I've spoken to him or haven't spoken to him, I don't think this is the time to go into too much detail. We need to move forward in the right direction for sure. We need to do things to enable us to do that. So, it's pretty clear."
Fernandes' family home was burgled while United played Como in Italy, and the club are providing support to the midfielder and his family. Carrick said: "I mean, it's an awful thing to hear about and to go through. We are obviously doing a lot of work to support Bruno and his family. Thankfully, they weren't directly affected, even though it's an awful situation. So, I'm not playing it down in any way, but yeah, we're doing everything to support them."
