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EPL: ‘Just to embarrass him’ – Carragher on why Carrick refused to use Bruno Fernandes in 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has accused Manchester United manager Michael Carrick of deliberately trying to embarrass captain Bruno Fernandes by leaving him on the bench throughout the team’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday.
Fernandes was an unused substitute as United suffered a disappointing home loss, with Carragher suggesting that Carrick had no intention of bringing the Portuguese midfielder onto the pitch.
The 32-year-old was dropped from the starting lineup four days after criticising Carrick’s tactical approach following Manchester United’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como. Carrick had defended the decision, insisting it was based on “pure football” considerations.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said the manager’s explanation did not match what he observed during the match at Old Trafford.
“I believe he never intended to bring him on. It was a deliberate decision to keep him on the bench in an attempt to essentially embarrass him,” Carragher said.
According to Opta, Fernandes was named among the substitutes for a Premier League match for only the sixth time since joining Manchester United in January 2020. Although he warmed up during Sunday’s game, he was never introduced.
Bournemouth took the lead in the 38th minute through Rayan Vitor, who scored a volley after Justin Kluivert’s free-kick. Marcus Tavernier made it 2-0 after Leny Yoro lost possession to Adrien Truffert, before Evanilson completed the scoring in the 71st minute.
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Carrick made several substitutions, introducing Matheus Cunha at half-time for Youri Tielemans and later bringing on Lisandro Martinez, Joshua Zirkzee and Shea Lacey. He used four of his five available substitutions, but Fernandes remained on the bench as United fell to another disappointing defeat.