Michael Carrick has said he will not strip Bruno Fernandes of the Manchester United captaincy after dropping him for the defeat by Bournemouth and that he is not surprised to have kept his job as the head coach.
Carrick and Fernandes held talks this week after the Portuguese criticised the tactics in the loss to Como, resulting in the midfielder being an unused substitute on Sunday. Harry Maguire took the armband but will not retain it for Saturday’s game at Chelsea, with Carrick saying “there is no decision to be made” and praising Fernandes.
“He’s an important player for this group,” he said. “He has been and he will be. Between us, we’ve got to make a difference and we’ve got to push things in a good direction. He’s fully committed to this football club, he’s fully committed to making things better. It doesn’t change for me. He’s the one that’s kind of led the team so well for many a game and many a year, and he’ll continue to do that.”
Carrick’s future remains unclear but he has been given a chance to turn around United’s form. The hierarchy held talks over whether to stick with Carrick at the start of the week after eight games without a win, including a wait of more than two months for a Premier League victory. There is keen interest in Eddie Howe or Julian Nagelsmann as potential replacements.
“I don’t need any assurances from anyone,” Carrick said. “I totally get the position, I understand the job, I understand the responsibilities, I understand what comes with that.”
Asked whether he was surprised still to be in charge, Carrick said: “No, I am here to do my job. I am here to do the best for the team, and I am desperate to make us better and improve things, so I’m not surprised, no.”
The United supporters cheered Carrick off after the Bournemouth game, turning their anger on the players, who were booed at Old Trafford. “I care about what the supporters think,” Carrick said. “I care about what it feels like in the stadium, and them travelling for games, to come and see us and support us.
“I care about what we give them, and what we offer them, and what they see. I genuinely don’t take any notice of anything else. I know this job, I know what it brings, I know what we need to do really to be better. I don’t need anyone else to tell me anything else.”
United will be without the striker Benjamin Sesko until the new year because of a shin injury but Carrick was boosted by Kobbie Mainoo’s return to training this week.
