Bruno Fernandes went on TV to criticise Man Utd head coach Michael Carrick in Como and his actions were unbecoming of a club captain.

If Lisandro Martinez’s attack on the Manchester United hierarchy found some favour with supporters last week, Bruno Fernandes’ verbal takedown of Michael Carrick won’t elicit quite the same reaction.

Fernandes took a leaf out of the Martinez playbook by using a contractual post-match broadcast interview to get a few things off his chest. But while there is scepticism amongst the fan base on Jason Wilcox’s role, there is no such desire to see Michael Carrick dragged across the hot coals in public.

It’s remarkable that United have had players attacking their bosses in successive weeks here, but Fernandes’s public evisceration of Carrick’s tactics was a move of pure cowardice from a player who is letting himself down this season.

Fernandes should be looking in the mirror rather than adding to the pressure on a head coach who cares far more about the club than any of the players who shamed themselves in Como on Wednesday.

The 32–year-old’s performances have been woeful this season and his attitude in Como was appalling. He was critical of teammates from the first couple of minutes, waved his arms around in disgust on a few occasions and then stared the bench out when his number went up. Credit to Carrick for hauling him off.

And credit to Carrick for the spiky response he delivered to Fernandes’s criticism in his press conference. There is an irony in Fernandes questioning the pressing when his own approach to doing so is of the headless-chicken variety.

"We actually were half-pressed man-to-man in the second half and then conceded a goal from that," said Carrick, before firing a barb back at Fernandes and his players. "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."

That’s not to say the criticism didn’t have merit. Anybody could see that Cesc Fabregas’ Como were a much better-coached team than Carrick’s United. But doing it in public feels like a spineless way of going about it.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that Carrick’s arrival in January took Fernandes’ form to another level. He delivered 13 assists and four goals in the final 17 games of the Premier League season.

Those numbers helped deliver the attacking midfielder to a hat-trick of individual awards. Carrick abandoned the experiment of playing Fernandes deeper, made him the heartbeat of the team again and simplicity was at the heart of the rejuvenation that carried United back into the Champions League.

Make sure you never miss the latest Manchester United news and opinion by making Manchester Evening News one of your Google preferred sources.

Maybe moving to a game plan that required another few layers was always going to be above Carrick. But he has been let down by those above him and those below him.

Fernandes is the leader of the dressing room, and by going public, he has to accept the blame. This is a disgraceful way for a Manchester United captain to behave.

But he isn’t alone. Carrick rounded on plenty of his players on Wednesday, and Matheus Cunha’s attitude before his half-time withdrawal earned him a rebuke from Carrick during the game.

In 10 months at Old Trafford, Carrick has wrapped a protective arm around his players. He has resisted criticising them, taken responsibility for defeats and generally massaged their egos. This is how they repay them.

It feels inevitable now that the 45-year-old will leave sooner rather than later. Fernandes will be on his eighth manager, including caretakers, in his seven years at the club. But at some point, he should reflect on his own role in this sorry saga.