Michael Carrick has come under fire following Man Utd's defeat to Como in the Champions League but so have the players

Manchester United bosses believe the players must shoulder some of the responsibility for the dismal 4-1 thrashing by Como in the Champions League. Manager Michael Carrick faces growing scrutiny but his position remains secure for the time being.

The club's senior figures were left astonished by just how abject the on-field performance was from the squad. Nico Paz broke the deadlock inside just two minutes, and a string of Senne Lammens stops kept the scoreline respectable until after the break, when Cesc Fabregas' outfit added two more, with Paz setting up Anastasios Douvikas before netting his second.

On an evening that looked set to hinge on influential playmakers, it was the 22-year-old who commanded proceedings for the Serie A outfit while Bruno Fernandes was deployed out of his natural role before being withdrawn in the 66th minute.

The United skipper was among numerous underwhelming performers on the night, with Andrey Santos, who was substituted at half-time following a booking, toiling in the middle of the park. Mason Mount and Matthijs de Ligt were among the rare starters who appeared completely overwhelmed.

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Fitness concerns and a tight schedule forced Carrick into alterations, but he still selected a strong starting XI, which left United bosses stunned by such an inadequate showing, according to The Times. Their report has also suggested that the recent slump in form falls on the players rather than solely on Carrick.

The latter finds himself under considerable scrutiny, though, with United having secured just two victories this campaign. Carrick is not currently thinking his own situation, with his attention focused on reversing the club's fortunes.

"Listen, I've not given my own position any thought," he said. "[My thoughts are] for the supporters – I was one of them watching that and I wasn't happy at all."

"It's not about me right now and my feelings in that regard. It's more of as a team and as a football club, what we want to look like, what we should look like. And as I said, the results can come and go at times, but you got to do it in a certain way. And that wasn't it."

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Once more, remarks from a player in the aftermath of a European loss have sparked debate, with Fernandes this time left incensed by both the performance and the tactical approach.

He told TNT Sports: "It's a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, but sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confidence."

When asked point-blank if Carrick had got it wrong, he replied: "That's on the manager and staff to see it, not me. Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable.

Carrick was given the opportunity to respond and seemingly threw it back onto the players and their lack of effort on the night. He 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."