Alex Crook said Michael Carrick should take a big call on Bruno Fernandes before Manchester United face Leeds, and the pressure around that decision has grown because United are without a win in five games after losing to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night. Carrick is also the favourite to be the first Premier League manager sacked this season.

Carrick's decision on Fernandes

Crook said on talkSPORT that leaving the captain out would be Carrick's biggest call. "I think the biggest call that Michael Carrick could make right now and it would be huge to leave his captain out," he said. Crook also added: "Apart from the game against Ipswich, he’s not putting numbers on the board. I would take him out of the team against Leeds at the weekend."

There is a case for the criticism. Fernandes broke the assist record last season, but this season he has one Premier League assist in six appearances. He also has three league goals and a 7.3 average rating, so this is not a story of a player offering nothing. The issue is narrower than that, his output in the final third has not matched the status of a captain United keep leaning on.

Why the Leeds game matters

United's league position only adds to the noise. They are 13th in the Premier League with six points from six matches, while Leeds sit seventh with nine points from six. Chris Sutton said he could not remember the last time Leeds were seen as favourites going into this fixture and added that he does not fancy United's chances.

That form gap is why the selection debate has landed so hard. Leeds have gone five games unbeaten in the league before their narrow defeat to Arsenal last time out, and the last league meeting at Elland Road finished 1-1. United also lost 2-1 at Old Trafford in the corresponding fixture, so Carrick is not walking into an easy environment at all.

If Carrick does leave Fernandes out for the first time, it will be a direct response to United's run and the captain's recent numbers. If he keeps him in, the argument will only get louder when Leeds vs Manchester United arrives on 18 October.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →