Michael Carrick has tried to take some of the heat off Bruno Fernandes, but the numbers around Manchester United make the scrutiny hard to avoid. Fernandes has 3 Premier League goals and 1 assist in 7 appearances this season, while United have won only 1 of their 7 league matches and sit 13th with 7 points.
Carrick's message on the captain
"I think there's no denying there's been a bit of frustration and disappointment with certain things at the start of the season, with results or goals. That's not solely or anything towards just Bruno," Carrick said to manchestereveningnews.co.uk. He went further too: "Again, it's not an individual thing. This is not when it's all good, it's not always just Bruno. When it's certainly if it's not so good, it's not all Bruno. He has a big impact on our group, a big impact on the squad."
That line matters because Fernandes has gone 4 games without scoring, his longest streak since spring 2025. His only Premier League assist this season has come in a run where United have been drawing and losing too often to settle any argument about who is carrying the side.
The role questions around Fernandes
The scrutiny is not only about output. Against Leeds, Fernandes started as a false nine and drifted left and right around the penalty area, and Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both questioned whether the wider role suits him.
Neville told A Bola, in comments translated from Portuguese: "It's not ideal, I think Bruno is not completely happy with this position. When you put the team's best player, last year's best player in the league, in a more open position, it's because the team is struggling," while Carragher said: "Bruno won't be happy playing in a more open position. Because Leeds are in a low block and are strong in transition. Now United are trying to evolve, trying to be a better team in attack and trying to do all these rotations in the team, but nothing has happened yet with these changes."
Fernandes also had a 6.28 rating against Leeds and a 6.43 rating in the Atletico Madrid defeat, which fits the idea that the role change has not yet brought the attacking lift United wanted. Even so, Carrick has been clear that the club's issues are broader than one player, and Fernandes' 7.15 average rating this season suggests the debate is more about decisive moments than general involvement.
United travel to Como in the Champions League on 21 October and face Bournemouth four days later, with Fernandes' role and end product likely to stay under the same glare.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
