Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes rubbished the “lies” claiming that he and Michael Carrick had cleared the air, exposing the intriguing reality that there had been no communication at all between the manager and a captain who is instead trying to “win every f---ing game.”

Fernandes’s tumultuous few weeks were condensed into 90 minutes against Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. After an utterly abject first half in which United were fortunate to escape with just a 2–0 deficit, the Red Devils skipper kickstarted a miraculous fightback with a retaken penalty before Matheus Cunha’s three-minute brace secured an unlikely 3–2 win.

Emboldened by the end of United’s dismal nine-match winless stretch, Fernandes used his postmatch interview not to call out his manager or any technical directors, but erroneous media reports.

Fernandes’s Mixed Man Utd Fortunes

• Aug. 30: Hat trick against Ipswich.
• September–October: Seven games without a goal or an assist.
• Oct. 21: After a horrible individual performance, Fernandes criticizes Carrick’s tactics against Como.
• Oct. 23: Carrick refuses to reveal whether he spoke to Fernandes: “I don’t think this is the time to go into too much detail.”
• Oct. 25: Fernandes dropped against Bournemouth in a “pure football” decision.
• Oct. 28: Reports claim that “clear the air” talks have been held between manager and captain.
• Oct. 29: Without confirming any discussion, Carrick insists that Fernandes is “fully committed” and dismisses his absence against Bournemouth as “a decision for what we felt for the game.”
• Oct. 31: Fernandes starts and captains United to Chelsea defeat.
• Nov. 3: The Roman remontada.

“It’s been tough, there’s been a lot of speculation in the media,” the Portuguese midfielder told Amazon Prime Video. “A lot of lies around many things that have happened at this club, between me and the manager, like that we have cleared the air. Nothing like that happened. The manager took a decision of making myself on the bench because I wasn’t performing. And that’s fair.”

Fernandes sternly scolded Carrick’s instruction to not press Como in a humiliating 4–1 defeat—one which he ignored, to the wider detriment of the team—and promptly watched his teammates lose 3–0 to Bournemouth from the bench. Despite the sharp-tongued words, Carrick always insisted that Fernandes’s absence was a sporting decision. The captain agreed with the decision, although appeared to not have any further explanation behind it.

“Everyone felt like that was a punishment for the words that I had [after Como]. And if it was, it was right,” Fernandes added, leading to the conclusion that there had been no discussions at all—air cleared or left in place—which points toward a whole new set of problems.

“The manager makes the decisions. I have to accept it. I have to go forward with that. It doesn’t change the belief I have in the manager, the staff and every player at this club. And it doesn’t change my aim to win every f---ing game that I have ahead of me.”

‘Save Anyone’s Job’—Fernandes Takes Firm Stance on Carrick Future

United’s bleak stretch of form had put Carrick in a tenuous position heading into the Champions League clash. Thanks in part to the lack of cohesion among the club’s powerbrokers, the fan favorite had been given at least two more games in the dugout.

It was put to Fernandes that he and his teammates had salvaged Carrick’s future with the win but the midfielder firmly rebutted that claim. “We don’t need to save anyone’s job,” Fernandes scoffed. “The club needed that win. The players needed that win. It is something we needed as a group of players and staff. We have been working so hard to get out of this situation together.”

United take on Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday before club soccer takes a two-week break for international fixtures. That elongated hiatus had been earmarked as the optimal time for Carrick’s replacement to come in but now it remains to be seen if this victory over Roma will delay a decision which still appears inevitable.