Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes will start on the bench for Sunday's home match against Bournemouth, a decision made by manager Michael Carrick.
The move follows United's 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como on Wednesday, after which Fernandes criticised Carrick and his coaching staff during an interview with TNT Sports.
Fernandes criticises tactics after Como defeat
Speaking after the loss, Fernandes said: 'It's a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave a bit of space in behind and then try to get the ball in the first moment to wait for them, to give them the ball.'
'But sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams, they get confident, they have so many bodies behind the ball that make you run a lot which makes people get frustrated.'
'And then, when we recover the ball, the legs and the brain are much more difficult to make it work.'
Asked whether Carrick had got things wrong tactically, Fernandes said: 'That's on the manager and staff to see it, not me. Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable.'
Carrick's response and the decision to drop Fernandes
In his pre-match press conference, Carrick did not confirm whether Fernandes would be dropped or stripped of the captaincy, saying: 'The most important thing is the team and the dynamics of the squad and the football club and I always do what is best for the club.'
Pressed again, Carrick said: 'Whatever the situation is I will do what is best for the football club. If I have spoken to him or I haven't spoken to him, I don't think this is the time to go into too much detail.'
After the defeat at Como, Carrick had responded to criticism by pointing to his players' efforts. 'We actually half-pressed man-to-man the second half and then conceded a goal from that,' he said.
'And there's a little bit on whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don't run, and you don't run forward, and you don't run back, you ain't going to win.'
Former player backs Carrick's decision
Former United player Ashley Young told Sky Sports that Carrick was right to drop Fernandes. 'I agree with Michael Carrick's decision,' he said. 'It's a massive decision but there's no player, a captain or not, who's bigger than the club.'
'I think the comments in midweek, questioning the manager's tactics, he's basically throwing the manager under the bus. I thought it was a disgrace.'
Fernandes, who has been one of United's key players for several years, aimed his criticism at the manager rather than the recruitment team, unlike Lisandro Martinez's recent comments. United host Bournemouth on Sunday with Fernandes set to start on the bench.
