Manchester United are set to host Bournemouth at Old Trafford this Sunday, and they are looking for only their second Premier League victory of the campaign.

Pressure has intensified on Michael Carrick in the past week following his side’s demolition at the hands of Como in the Champions League.

This performance and defeat led the club captain, Bruno Fernandes to speak out about the tactical approach of Carrick.

Now, the Man United manager has dropped Fernandes for their clash with Bournemouth, and Carrick has explained his decision.

Michael Carrick’s reason to drop Bruno Fernandes

A victory is essential for Carrick as he looks to not only rescue United’s season but also his job as manager.

In the build-up to this fixture, there were questions about whether he would drop Fernandes for his comments, and while he has dropped the Portuguese midfielder, he has clarified the reason while being interviewed by Sky Sports ahead of their latest Premier League clash.

Carrick said: “It's picking a team, a starting XI. You've got options to choose from. They're always difficult decisions. You've got to make the right one, you feel, to try and get the performance that we want."

When probed further in the interview about whether this decision was a personal or footballing decision, Carrick cleared this up.

He said: “Pure football, pure football.”

Michael Carrick on the Bournemouth challenge

Man United are desperate for a win but there may be some confidence in who they are playing due to their history in the Premier League against them.

They have won nine of their first 12 Premier League matches against Bournemouth, and so this should fill fans with some confidence.

However, but they are winless in six against the Cherries since then and so they will be demanding a better performance at Old Trafford today.

Speaking about the Bournemouth clash, Carrick said: “Any performance at any level, for this club or any club for that matter, you need to play with all of that [hard work and humility] to get a result. Bournemouth are a really good team and we have to be at our best today to get a good result.

“It's the next game for us. We've prepared for it as the same as any other game. With the run we've been on, we want to flip things and we want to win football matches. Today's a good day for us to try and do that."