Bruno Fernandes Hits Back at ‘Lies’ After Man Utd’s Roma Comeback

• Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes said “a lot of lies” are going around about the club after the 3-2 win over Roma, per Sky Sports.
• Fernandes scored a retaken penalty and set up Matheus Cunha’s equaliser as United claimed their first win in 10 games.
• United host Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon in their last game before the international break.

Benched Against Bournemouth, Fernandes Now Says Nobody Needs to Save Carrick’s Job

Bruno Fernandes used his post-match interview with Prime Video to call out what he described as lies after Manchester United’s 3-2 Champions League win over Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. “There’s been a lot of speculation in the media, a lot of lies around many things that have happened in this club,” the 32-year-old captain said. Of the claim that he and head coach Michael Carrick had to clear the air, he said: “Nothing like that happened.” On Carrick’s position, his message was short: “We don’t need to save anyone’s job.”

Fernandes Accepts the Bench Call

Carrick left Fernandes out of the starting line-up for the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth after the captain publicly criticised the tactics following the 4-1 loss at Como. Fernandes said his own level of play decided that call. He said everyone felt it was a punishment for the words he used after Como, and he did not argue with that view. “If it was, it was right,” he said.

He accepted the decision in full. “The manager is the one who makes the decisions. I have to accept them”, Fernandes said, and he added that the episode left his view of the group unchanged: “It doesn’t change the belief I have in the manager, in the staff and every player that is in this club.” He said the players share the supporters’ frustration at where the club stands, and that his aim is to win every game he has ahead of him.

The Row That Started at Como

The trouble began when Fernandes questioned Carrick’s tactics after the Como defeat. Fans and pundits alike turned on him. Gary Neville lamented: “If that’s your captain saying that, imagine what they’re saying in the dressing room behind closed doors when no one’s listening. That’s horrific.” Neville also told Fernandes to “read the room” and called him an “excuse merchant” on his podcast.

The Bournemouth defeat made the mood worse. Fernandes and his teammates were booed by United supporters afterwards, while Carrick received a warm reception. Pundits condemned the interview and Carrick, who had been given a stay of execution by the club’s bosses, looked close to the exit.

Tuesday began the same way. Roma led 2-0 inside the first 18 minutes, and supporters booed and threw tennis balls onto the pitch. Then the match turned. Fernandes saw his first penalty saved, but the referee spotted encroachment by a Roma player and he scored the retake. Cunha scored twice in four minutes, the equaliser in the 83rd minute coming from a Fernandes assist.

What Tielemans, Carrick and Rooney Said

Substitute Youri Tielemans backed the head coach. “There has been a lot of pressure on him and that’s how we repay him, with a comeback like this. Big character, big fight.” Asked if the win might save Carrick’s job, the Belgian replied: “That’s a different question. The only thing we can do is stick behind him, fight for him and fight for the club.”

Carrick praised his players. “Proud of a lot of people actually, proud of the players, and they deserve a lot of credit for pulling through that in a tough situation,” he said. Asked about his own future, he answered: “I don’t have a crystal ball to know what happens next.”

Wayne Rooney said Carrick “deserves a lot of credit” for the second half. “Whatever he said to the team at half-time got them on the front foot and gave them the belief that they could win the game,” Rooney said.

A Script United Have Run Before

United had gone nine games without a win before Tuesday, and the winless run had pushed Carrick close to the sack. The comeback has a precedent. In 2018, United beat Newcastle 3-2 after two early goals stunned the home side, who were already under pressure for a poor start to the season. Jose Mourinho was in charge. In the 10 games before that win United won three times, and in the 13 after it they won five. Mourinho was sacked by December that year.

Villa Come Next

Carrick has moved his focus to the weekend. “We move on to the weekend, we’ve got a really important game here against Aston Villa, which we need to prepare for right,” he said. Unai Emery’s Villa visit Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, the last match before the international break, and the result will say a lot about how long the mood from Tuesday lasts.