Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes questioned Michael Carrick’s tactics in the wake of the club’s Champions League humiliation in Como.

United were humbled 4-1 as their wretched season hit a new low and Carrick, who expressed his 'anger' at the performance, suffered his fifth defeat in 11 games.

A week after Lisandro Martinez had taken aim at his Old Trafford bosses – and director of football Jason Wilcox in particular – Fernandes broke ranks to question why United were so passive again.

He said: ‘It's a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence.’

Asked if he meant that Carrick got his tactics wrong, Fernandes added: ‘That's on the manager and staff to say, not me.

‘Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable. As you saw with Como, the centre back was coming to mark me in my own half. We need to do that as a team but we were unable to.

‘A team that plays through the middle with small connections, if you give them too much time and space then they can hurt you out wide.’

Having conceded to Atletico after 50 seconds last week, United were behind within two minutes as Como star Nico Paz struck the first of his two goals.

‘It's not the first time, we started on the wrong foot, and they scored very early,’ said Fernandes. ‘Not much pressure on the ball, not many good movements with the ball, not many things going our way.

‘Conceding early makes us go into game with a mood of defeat, it's difficult to get out of that, trying to be brave, to have the ball and make something happen. If we are not able to do that, it is going to be very difficult to get out of this situation.’

Fernandes was surprisingly substituted by Carrick midway through the second half, and the United skipper shook his head in frustration as he made his way back to the dugout.

When Carrick was told about Fernandes’ comments, the United boss gave a pointed response by suggesting that his players weren’t willing to run enough.

‘We actually were half-pressed man-to-man in the second half and then conceded a goal from that,’ he said. ‘There's a little bit on whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, but if you don't run – you don't run forward and you don't run back – you aren’t going to win.’

On their performance more widely, the former United midfielder said: 'It was more than disappointing. I think everyone has to take responsibility for that.

'I'll 100 per cent take responsibility for the overall team and performance; that stops with me and I accept that. But as a supporter of this club for so long and I care so much about this club, to see a performance like that is unacceptable. 

'A lot of it is the motivation, intensity and purpose you have to bring in a game of football and we didn't bring that today. You can't turn it on and off or choose when you perform or give absolutely everything. Until you do that you're not going to win enough football matches.'

Carrick apologised to United's travelling fans after the match and held his hands up in their direction having marched across the pitch, before he repeated this stance when speaking to the media. 

He added: 'I care an unbelievable amount about these supporters. They're the heartbeat of this football club and always will be. 

'For them to travel, I have to apologise for the performance and everything they've done to get here tonight. To watch a performance like that I feel for them. There's no excuses for that and it's totally unacceptable.' 

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