Michael Carrick has hit back at Bruno Fernandes after the Manchester United captain criticised his tactics in the Red Devils’ 4-0 defeat to Como on Wednesday.

The Serie A side put the visitors to the sword in the Champions League as Nico Paz (two), Anastasios Douvikas and Jacobo Ramón were on target for Cesc Fabregas’ side.

Rio Ferdinand claims Como made his former side look like they had ‘won a raffle to play in the Champions League’, while Fernandes took aim at the Man Utd game-plan in another astonishing post-match interview from a Man Utd player after Lisandro Martinez broke ranks last week.

Fernandes 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.”

On whether he is saying Michael Carrick got his tactics wrong: “That’s on the manager and staff to see, 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 them [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.”

And after admitting his side’s performance was “unacceptable” in his post-match interview, Carrick told reporters in his press conference that Fernandes’ comments weren’t accurate, before taking aim at his players for “not running”.

Carrick said: “We actually half-pressed man-to-man the second half and then conceded a goal from that.

“And there’s a little bit on whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don’t run, and you don’t run forward, and you don’t run back, you ain’t going to win.”

“We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight, I wouldn’t say everyone, but the way we went about it in some ways tonight wasn’t acceptable. And I just wanted to let the fans know that I feel for them, for sure.

“It wasn’t just the goals, if I’m totally honest. It was the manner and the way we played at times, in the way we went about it, that was the difficult thing to watch for me.

“It’s not about playing for me, it’s about playing for this football club. It’s the responsibility that comes with being in the position; I’m responsible for the football club and the supporters.

“I’m giving my best, absolute best all the time, I care about it. My whole life’s wrapped around it. I genuinely give everything that I possibly can.”