Alan Shearer has questioned whether Bruno Fernandes has damaged his standing at Manchester United after the captain's clash with Michael Carrick. Speaking to Foot Mercato, the former Newcastle striker said Fernandes is United's best player, but added that his behaviour was not what is expected from a captain. He also said Fernandes had tarnished his image inside the club.
Shearer's criticism of Fernandes
Shearer did not soften the point. He said Fernandes "owes a performance to the coach, he owes a performance to the club and he owes a performance to the fans." In the same interview, he added that the reaction after the Bournemouth match showed supporters backing Carrick, not Fernandes, despite everything the midfielder has brought to United.
The clash sits on top of a messy run for the captain. Fernandes publicly questioned Carrick's tactical choices after the heavy defeat against Como in the Champions League, then was left out in the loss against Bournemouth. Across his 8 Premier League appearances this season, he has 3 goals and 1 assist, while United sit 17th with 7 points after 9 matches.
United's broader numbers are just as bleak. They are without a win in 7 league games, with 4 goalless matches, zero clean sheets and zero away wins in that spell. That is the backdrop for why every disagreement inside the squad is landing so loudly right now.
The one thing Fernandes has not lost is responsibility. The next chance to quiet the noise comes at home to AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on 2026-11-03, with Aston Villa and Liverpool to follow in the league after that.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
