Michael Carrick used Sir Alex Ferguson's 40th anniversary reunion at Old Trafford to calm the mood around Manchester United and back Bruno Fernandes. He said the club have moved in a good direction, and insisted Fernandes' commitment is undoubted after the midfielder's actions this week.
Ferguson's night at Old Trafford
S. Ferguson was poached from Aberdeen 40 years ago and later lifted 37 pieces of silverware during his 27-year tenure at Old Trafford. Manchester United legends reunited to toast him on Saturday night, with James Nesbitt sharing a group photo featuring Ferguson and Michael Carrick.
Nemanja Vidic, Robin van Persie, Darren Fletcher, Jonny Evans, Javier Hernandez and John O'Shea joined the celebration. Carrick's message sat neatly alongside the reunion atmosphere. He said, "Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. I'm really looking forward to the next game, playing at home on the back of the other night."
Carrick's message before Aston Villa
The manager also talked about what happens behind closed doors. "There are always conversations, bits going on; acknowledging certain things of when things are going well, what we need to improve on as a group," he said, before adding that the supporters should come back energised and that the team has to repay them.
The numbers around United still explain why the pressure has not gone away. Manchester United are 18th in the Premier League with 7 points after 9 matches, and the club's next home fixture is against Trafford side Aston Villa on 2026-11-08 16:30:00+00. Carrick's comments are about settling the tone, not pretending the work is finished.
He also singled out Fernandes after the Roma win and the penalty retake, saying: "He showed that again this week by his actions, the way he's played and how he dealt with even retaking the penalty and the frame of mind he was in for that. I think that tells you everything. Bruno's as good as ever."
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
